No More Hiding Who I Wanna Be
by ActingPrincess
Summary: When 'bad boy' Shane Gray is sent back to the place that discovered Connect 3, Nate and Mitchie tag along to keep an eye on him. Two years ago, a car accident left Mitchie mute, and Nate's girlfriend dead. While trying to give Mitchie a great summer, Nate comes up with a plan to save Shane's career. He's also forced to face why his friendship with Caitlyn ended in the first place.
1. Chapter 1

"Finally!" She said, the excitement clear in her voice as she jumped to her feet. "They're here!"

Drew and Alex shared an amused look, each slowly reaching up to lower her back down. Her arm was already in a cast; the very reason they'd missed the boys 'Final Jam' performance in the first place, too much eagerness could only lead to the fourteen-year-old injuring herself further.

Mitchie was a natural born klutz, even she couldn't deny that.

"Chill, Mitch." Her best friend muttered, rolling her eyes. "I wanna see the guys too, but they'll be inside in just a second."

"Yeah." Drew agreed. "Just be cool, Torres."

"Jason wouldn't tell me who won." Mitchie replied, standing up. "There was a record producer there, guys! A _record_ _producer_! From a major label! Do you know what this could mean for my brother? And Shane? And Nate? Do you?"

Alex laughed, but he remained silent. She shot him a questioning look, but he waved her away. She shrugged it off, and grabbed Mitchie's hand to pull her back into a sitting position.

"I know, Mitchie." She said. "And that record producer would be stupid not to offer the guys a contract. I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once, I actually agree with Drew. Just calm down. They'll be inside in a minute, and I'm sure Jason will tell you all about it."

"I think I saw something shiny! It has to be a trophy!"

Drew snorted. "Seriously, Mitch. Chill."

Finally, the door swung open, and two of her three favorite people entered the room, their arms loaded with suitcases, duffle bags, guitar cases, and drum sticks. Alex laughed again, standing up to try and take some of the burden away from her boyfriend. He too waved her away, claiming that since he was a 'man,' he could handle carrying his own luggage. Mitchie gave the suitcases a wary glance.

"Why do I wanna say that all of that belongs to Shane?"

"Because it does." Her brother, and the oldest member of Connect 3, grumbled. "Remind me, Nate. Why can't Shane carry his own damn suitcase?"

Nate's face finally appeared from behind a leather duffle bag. "Because he's too busy staring at his own reflection in the trophy..."

At the mention of the word _trophy_ , Mitchie's eyes lit up, and she threw her arms around Jason's neck. Could it be? Was Connect 3 finally going to get to perform in a place that didn't pay them from the tip jar? Would the band she knew and love finally have the chance to become a household name?

"You won?"

"We won!" Nate echoed, abandoning the last of the bags to wrap his arm around Alex. "I can now officially announce that Connect 3 has been signed to Shadow Records!"

Alex squealed, winding her arms around his torso before leaning up to kiss him. "I am so proud of you, babe!"

"Yeah..." Drew muttered. "That's... Great, man."

Jason swung Mitchie around in a circle before releasing his grip on her altogether. His usually goofy demeanor had yet to make an appearance, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was still in shock, or just too tired to have the right reaction.

"I am so proud of you!"

"You said that already." He muttered, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Enough about me. How was dance camp?"

"It was great!" The two girls said together, sharing a look.

Nate glanced over at Mitchie's arm, wrapped in plaster and covered with signatures. His eyes were full of amusement as he crossed the room to wrap her up in a hug. She pressed her face into his shoulder, grateful that they had finally been reunited. Mitchie had known Shane for years, but Nate was the closest thing she had to a twin brother. His parents had been awarded permanent guardianship of fifteen-year-old Jason and ten-year-old Mitchie after Steve and Connie Torres perished in a horrible car accident. The three teens had grown up together, Nate treating Jason and Mitchie as long lost siblings. He hadn't gotten jealous when his mother spent more time with Mitchie instead of him, because he knew that she needed a mother figure more than he did during certain parts of her adolescence, and Mitchie loved him for that. Besides Alex, Nate was her best friend, and she was so happy to finally have him back. She was thrilled to see Jason as well, but she knew now that he was home, his protective, big brother instincts would once again take over her life.

Not that it was only Jason. Shane and Nate were just as, if not more, protective of her. At least she had an excuse as to why she had never been on a date.

Shane. Where the hell was Shane?

"Yo, Romeo!" Nate called, guessing her thoughts. "Get your ass in here and help us unpack!"

Shane had gotten permission to stay with the Blacks for the rest of the summer. She was ecstatic.

"We're about to be famous, Nathan." He shot back. "I need to make sure I always look my best."

Alex looked at them and rolled her eyes. Shane had always been obsessed with his looks, some things would never change.

"There's not enough hair care products in the world to make that happen, Shane."

Shane scoffed, finally stepping into the room. He let the door fall shut behind him before putting down the large, gleaming trophy down onto the table. Mitchie began to laugh. She couldn't help it, she never tired of hearing Shane and Nate bicker. It was always interesting, and more often than not, the youngest member of Connect 3 came out on top.

"Yeah, yeah. Yuck it up, Mitch." He muttered, glancing down at her cast. "Hey. I was just wondering: how can someone as clumsy as you get into one of the most prestigious dance camps in the country?"

She stuck her tongue out at him in response. It was Shane's turn to chuckle. He beckoned her forward, grabbing her up in a bone crushing hug when she was close enough. She smiled, winding her arms around his torso. She had missed him the most, though she would never admit that out loud.

"I missed you." Shane mumbled. "Seriously, Mitchie, next year you're not allowed to trip, and fall, and miss your flight. It wasn't the same without you there."

Mitchie could feel the blush rising to her cheeks. She shot Drew and Alex a hopeful glance: they were the only ones who knew about her feelings for her brother's best friend, and they had saved her ass so many times before. If Shane caught her with her rosy red cheeks, he would never let her live it down.

"So, Nate!" Drew called, drawing attention to himself. "I say we go out and celebrate our boy getting signed! Jason? Shane? You guys wanna come?"

The two older band member shared a look before simultaneously shaking their heads. Jason offered his sister a tired smile, reaching out to squeeze her arm.

"I'm gonna pass, kids." He said. "I'm beat."

"Yeah." Shane shoved his hands into his pockets. "Me too."

Drew pulled his car keys out of his pocket, jerking his thumb towards the door. "C'mon, gang."

"Mitch?"

She paused in the doorway. "Yeah, Jase?"

"Just..." Jason let out a long sigh. "Be careful. Okay, sis?"

* * *

"Lexi?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?" Nate demanded, raising an eye brow.

He knew her all too well, but that didn't mean he could read her mind. She and Mitchie had been giggling over something all night, and he was determined to get in on the secret.

Alex pursed her lips, a smirk spreading across her face. "You really wanna know, babe?"

"Yeah. I really do."

Mitchie glanced back at her and grinned, before offering him a wink. Nate rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling skeptical, Alex and Mitchie were never up to any good, now he was unsure if he wanted to know.

"Please, Lexi?"

"Oh..." Alex drew out, throwing him her best smile. "Okay. Mitchie and I have been talking..."

"That's never good."

"Shut up, Nate."

"Just speaking the truth, Mitch."

"Anyway." She said, shooting both of them a warning look. "You know how much we love dance camp, but we were thinking... Maybe we should give Camp Rock a try."

Nate's eyes lit up. "Really? An entire summer? Just you and me?"

"Sort of." Alex replied with a laugh. "I mean, Jason, Shane and Mitchie will be there too, but I'm sure you and I can find some time to sneak off and..."

Mitchie smacked her best friend's leg. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

Nate pressed his lips to his girlfriend's in response, chocking back a laugh as his sister began to gag. She was always getting after them about their very, very public displays of affection, and it made it all the more fun to mess with her.

"So what do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea." He replied, kissing her again. "I'm already counting down the days."

Drew, who had remained silent oddly silent the entire night, began to drum his fingers against the steering wheel. He pressed down on the gas pedal, the speed of the car noticeably accelerating.

"Everything alright, man?"

"No." He said through gritted teeth. "Russo, if you and Torres go to that dump camp next-"

"Drew..." Mitchie said, her eyes widening. "Slow down... Please..."

* * *

"What the hell happened, Nate?"

She knew that voice! She also knew the tone he'd used, a mixture of concern, anger and annoyance. While everyone else who knew and loved him for his goofy nature, she had grown up with a very protective older brother, who used that tone of voice with her daily.

She tried to open her eyes, but they felt too heavy, so she finally let them remain closed. She was lying in an unfamiliar, very uncomfortable bed, and she could hear a distant beeping in the background.

Was she in a hospital?

"I didn't... How was I supposed to... I can't..."

Mitchie almost didn't recognize the next voice that spoke. It couldn't have been Nate, she had never heard him sound so... _Broken._

 _Drew! Look out!_

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

She was indeed lying in a hospital bed, not her own like she had been hoping. An IV had been inserted into her arm, and the cast wrapped around her left had been re-plastered, the signatures her friends from dance camp had scribbled across it gone. Her hand was being gripped too tightly by Shane, who breathed a sigh of relief the moment their eyes met.

"Hey." He said. "You're awake."

Mitchie took in his appearance. He'd showered with the intention of not leaving the house for the night, and his normally straight hair was beginning to turn into his natural, adorable curls. Any other time, he would have freaked out, and demanded that they stop somewhere before anyone could see him with his 'ugly' hair.

"It's okay, Mitchie." Shane mumbled, easing her down when she tried to sit up. "Just take it easy, alright? They gave you a lot of meds."

"Mitch." Jason let out a long sigh, bending down to press his lips to her hairline. "Finally. You're awake."

Mitchie blinked in surprise. How long had she been asleep for? Why did all three members of Connect 3 look exhausted, tired, angry and devastated?

"Mitch. Do... Do you remember what happened tonight?"

Slowly, she shook her head. The last thing she remembered was teasing Nate and Alex for...

"There was an accident..." Nate managed to say. "Alex... She um... She didn't... She's not..."

It couldn't be. Nate was telling some cruel, horrible joke! It wasn't funny! He was such an ass!

As soon as she saw the look in Shane's eyes, she knew Nate was telling the truth, she just couldn't believe it. Her best friend had been with her the entire weekend before, holding her hand in the hospital while they wrapped her arm up in the cast, teasing her for being a klutz on the plane ride home. Alex couldn't be dead!

Mitchie opened her mouth to scream, or cry, but no sound came out.


	2. Chapter 2

"It's gonna be really great having you with us this time, Mitch."

He wanted to believe that two years was enough time away, but as the 'Camp Rock' sign came into view, and he tried to smile at her, it came out as more of a grimace. There was not enough time in the world to make the pain go away.

It had been almost two years.

Two years since he'd come home from camp to spend time with his best friend, his little 'sister' and his girlfriend, seven hundred and thirty days since the fight had ensured over Nate's rising career, one hundred and four weeks since Drew had made the decision to get behind the wheel while drunk, twenty-four months since the last time he had seen his girlfriend alive. It was never going to get easier, and right then and there, he chose to place the blame on his bandmate and longtime friend: Shane.

He didn't want to be back at Camp Rock.

Alex told him that she wanted to spend the next summer out there with him, she'd spent weeks convincing her parents that Camp Rock was the place to be. He didn't want to come back here without her.

It was all Shane's fault!

Nate was being forced to return to the last place he could remember actually being happy, because someone had had to storm off the set of their music video shoot, knocking over a desert table in the process. Now Shane was being sent back to the place where Connect 3 had been discovered in the hopes that he would find who he used to be, and Nate had been dragged along to play chaperone. There was only one good thing about the upcoming summer: Mitchie was right there with him. With Jason and his new wife, Hayley trying to find a suitable place for them all to live, and his parents currently traveling around Europe, Jason had reluctantly agreed to allow her to accompany Shane and Nate to Camp Rock, with the promise that Nate would keep a watchful eye on her always. It wasn't that Jason didn't trust Shane with his sister, in fact, Mitchie was the only one who ever saw Shane's nice side anymore, Nate was just like a little brother to the oldest band member. He knew Nate would never let anything happen to her.

"Hey, Mitch." Nate muttered, reaching out to squeeze her knee. "Look. We're here."

The sixteen-year-old glanced out the window and smiled. She had been there countless times before, for drop offs and pickups, and while she loved it there dearly, she and Alex had always chosen to spend their summers at an exclusive dance camp.

They'd both agreed that Camp Rock was where they really wanted to be.

"I don't wanna waste my summer at some camp!" He hissed. "I'm Shane _Gray_ for crying out loud!"

" _Yeah."_ Mitchie agreed, a smile gracing her lips for the first time all day. " _Shane Gray the hothead._ "

Jason and Nate began to laugh, Shane stared at them. He raised an eye brow as the realization hit him, and he lunged at her. His arm pressed her shoulders back, trapping her against the seat as his free hand began to probe her waist. Mitchie began to laugh silently, tears streaming down her cheeks. Nate watched them, a faraway look in his eyes. There had been a time when she would have giggled, or told him to leave her alone, but she couldn't.

Mitchie had stopped talking after the accident.

The doctor said it was a 'selective' form of mutism, a common symptom due to PTSD. While they promised that it wasn't permanent, she hadn't said a word in two years. His mother, an ASL teacher in her spare time had taught them all how to sign, and now that was their only means of communication.

"You really wanna call me that, Mitch?" Shane challenged, his grip tightening. "You wanna take me on? Bad move."

The moment he caught his two bandmates staring at him, he abruptly released his hold on her. He leaned back against the leather seat and readjusted his sunglasses before crossing his arms.

"What?"

"Why can't you treat everyone the way you treat Mitchie?"

"Because." He replied, as if the answer were obvious. "Not everyone _is_ Mitchie. Don't do this to me, Nate. Please."

Nate blinked in surprise. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard the word please come out of the rock star's mouth. It took him a few moments to think of a response.

"Hey man." He muttered, shaking his head. "We used to love this place. Three years ago, we were campers."

"Yeah, man!" Jason pipped in. "This is where Connect 3... Connected!"

Nate shook his head again. When it came to Mitchie, he was the most responsible person ever, but Jason had a very unique sense of humor that came across as strange to anyone who didn't know him. He was the 'weird' one of the group, while Shane was the 'bad boy' or the 'heartthrob', and Nate was the 'serious cutie.' Mitchie was Connect 3's Princess, loved and adored by all of their fans.

"And you get to see your Uncle Brown." Nate added.

Brown had been like a father to Shane while growing up. He was so laid back, with a funk attitude and a love for all things music related, if anyone could get through to him, it was Brown. Once the bassist in a band called Wet Crows, he knew what fame could do to a kid.

"Ha." Shane scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Not a selling point."

Mitchie jabbed him with her elbow, and his disapproving gaze moved down to her for a moment. She didn't care if he became annoyed with her, she was so sick and tired of his bad attitude. The Shane Gray she knew and loved was a good guy, a kid who loved music, and his friends, and his family. This version of Shane was a stranger to her, someone who had let the fame go to his head. She knew that Nate was tired of beating around the bush. They were staying, for the entire summer. This was his last chance to prove himself. If Shane didn't change his tune, Connect 3 stood to lose it all.

"Look man." Nate sighed. "Right now, you're the bad boy to the press, and the label has a problem with that, which means we have a problem with that."

"Actually..." Jason drew out. "I don't really have a problem with that."

This time it was his sister who turned to shoot him an annoyed look. Jason shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to regain his composure.

"We have a problem with that."

Shane glared at him. When the label had sat the boys down to brainstorm ideas, Jason had been the only one opposed to sending Shane back to Camp Rock, but little by little, Nate, Mitchie, their manager and Shane's family had worn the guitarist down. It irritated him beyond belief that the only person on his side had been forced to change his mind.

"This camp thing is supposed to fix it." He said. "It's good P.R., so do your time. Enjoy the fresh air, get a tan."

"Oh! And can you make me a birdhouse or something?"

Shane, Nate and Mitchie turned to stare at him, their expressions unreadable. Mitchie couldn't help but think back to her childhood, where Jason had sent a letter to Santa every Christmas, asking for a pet bird. No such luck there, and she was still grateful.

"One word: Payback."

"That's two words!"

Without an annoyed sigh, Shane threw the limo door open and jumped out, reaching for his guitar case. Nate offered Jason a mock salute before climbing out after him. Mitchie, however, moved to take Nate's vacated spot, sliding her arms around her brother's torso.

Jason sighed, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You know if I had it my way, you would be coming with me, right?"

 _"I know."_ She signed, a faraway look in her eyes. _"But you and Hayley just got married, Jase. You guys deserve a little time to yourselves."_

Her new sister-in-law was currently waiting for Jason in her tiny college apartment, where the newlyweds had been living for the last few months. Hayley had been more than willing to let Mitchie stay with them while they looked at houses, and while she loved her for that, she wanted to give both of them a break. It was like their entire lives revolved around her.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

 _"I'll be fine."_

"I'm only a phone call away."

" _I know, Jase_."

"I love you, Munchkin."

 _"You're really annoying when you get all overprotective, but I love you too."_

"Enough with all the mushy stuff." Shane mumbled, his hand wrapping around her own. "She'll be fine, Jason."

He still looked unsure. "Nate?"

"She'll be fine, Jase." Nate promised. "I won't let anything happen to her."

Jason reluctantly nodded, stepping out of the limo to wrap her up in one last hug.

"I love you, Munchkin. Have a great summer, guys."

" _I love you too, Jase_."

"By the way." Nate said, glancing back at Shane. "We told the press you'd be recording a duet with the winner of Final Jam."

"What?!"

Mitchie couldn't hide the smile on her face. As the limo pulled away, he turned to her and held a hand out. She grasped it tightly, letting out a silent sigh. She finally had some time away from her brother for the first time in two years, and she didn't know how to feel about it.

"Wait..." Shane muttered, looking confused. "Reggie can't leave without carrying my stuff to my cabin..."

"Yeah, he can." Nate replied with a smile. He handed Mitchie her guitar case. "I told him to leave, Shane. You brought all that crap, you can carry it."

"Nate..."

 _"I'll help you."_ Mitchie offered, releasing her grip on Nate's hand. _"It's not a big deal, Shay."_

Shane was about to agree until he saw the look on Nate's face. He put on a brave face, shook his head and reached out to take hold of his own bags.

"Thanks, Mitch, but I've got it."

Nate's fingers locked around her wrist, leading her down the pathway towards Brown's office. When he felt her struggling to keep up, he slowed his pace, glancing back at her before stopping altogether. Her gaze was fixated on Shane.

Nate sighed.

He knew that if anyone missed the person Shane once was, it was Mitchie. They had been friends since an eleven-year-old Nate and a sixteen-year-old Jason had introduced her to their super cool cabin mate, nephew of West Crow legend/owner of Camp Rock, Shane Gray. Mitchie was the only one who Shane was real with anymore. This summer was their last chance to try and save him. He couldn't do it without her help.

"Don't worry, Mitchie." Nate muttered, squeezing her hand. "You're gonna have a great summer. I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

" _You don't remember where you're going. Do you?"_

Nate turned and shot her a mock glare. Of _course_ he knew where he was going! He'd spent every summer at Camp Rock since the age of eight, he knew the grounds like the back of his hand.

"Brown's office is that way, Nate."

He gave Mitchie a warning look before turning on his heel. Shane had finally caught up to them, and he reached out to take her hand, giving it a quick squeeze. He hadn't thrown a fit over having to carry his own luggage, and she was proud of him for that. Maybe there was some hope for him after all.

 _"You totally forgot where Brown's office is."_

"Shut up, Mitch."

Shane glanced down at her and smirked, keeping hold of her hand as he quickened his pace. He could see his Uncle Brown watching them through the window, and he let out an annoyed sigh. Since leaving the camp two years earlier, he hadn't made it an effort to keep in touch with his favorite uncle, and while a small part of him still felt guilty, the rest of him had learned not to care about anyone besides himself.  
Well, there was Mitchie. In his world, she was the only one besides himself who came first.

"Shane!" Brown swung the door open, holding his arms out. "What's the haps man?"

"Hey." Shane replied, dodging the hug. "What's up, Uncle Brown?"

He blinked for a few moments in surprise before turning to Mitchie. "How about you, love? You're not too 'famous' to give me a hug, are ya?"

She threw her arms around his neck in response. Brown chuckled, spinning her around in a circle before returning her feet to the ground.

"How are you, poppet?"

 _"I'm great!"_ Mitchie signed. _"Thank you, for making room for me. I can't believe I get to spend the entire summer here!"_

He smiled. "Don't ever thank me, Mitchie. You are one of the most talented people I know."

Shane rolled his eyes, reaching out to grab her hand again. "Whatever. Come on, Mitch, let's see if I can get some decent phone service out here, in the middle of nowhere."

Nate shot Brown an apologetic look, allowing the two to enter the office without him so they would be well out of earshot.

"It's good to see you, Brown."

"Not as good as it is to see you, mate." Brown said, holding his hand out. "Nate... You didn't tell me he had gotten this bad."

The curly haired guitarist ducked his head. "Didn't I?"

"You sure didn't."

"Sorry, Brown," Nate sighed. "You know, some days, I think he's actually made progress, like when I see him drop everything to take a picture with our youngest of fans, or when he goes above and beyond to do something for Mitchie, but then he'll pull a stunt like he did during the video shoot."

He nodded in understanding. It had shocked him to see Shane first enter the camp, with his straight hair, skinny jeans and bright white jacket. The Shane he remembered had worn loose jeans, and his hair curly. The Shane he knew and loved was a down-to-earth kid, who loved music, and his family, and his friends. The person his nephew had once been would have never let a record producer change his band into something he didn't believe in.

What had happened to Shane, the camper? The kid in front of him was now Shane Gray, the jerk.

"Don't worry, mate." Brown muttered, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get through to him."

The two shared a look before heading inside.

Mitchie had pulled her guitar from its case, and was sitting in a chair by the corner, strumming it softly. Leaning against the wall, watching her with a small smile, was Shane. As she glanced up, she realized that at some point while she had gotten lost in the music, Shane had taken his phone out of his pocket to record her. She narrowed her eyes, leaving the guitar to lean up against the wall before sticking her tongue out at him.

 _"You are_ _such_ _a creeper sometimes, Shay."_

"Sorry Mitch." Shane replied, his famous smirk in place. "I just thought the fans should know how talented our favorite girl is."

 _"Fans? Shane Adam Gray, don't you dare post that on Instagram!"_

"Sorry Mitch." He said again. "I don't have a choice."

 _"If you post that video, I'll post the one of you singing 'Bad Romance' way off key!"_

Shane shrugged. "My fans already saw that video of me dancing to 'Single Ladies.' That's nothing."

 _"Shane..."_

"Sorry Mitchie. Too late."

Mitchie rolled her eyes, jumping to her feet to wrap her hands around his in a lame attempt to get his phone. Shane laughed, easily holding it above his head and out of her reach, his free hand going to poke her waist once.  
Brown glanced at Nate and sighed.

It didn't surprise him that Mitchie was the only one who Shane was 'real' with anymore, her accident had absolutely devastated the eighteen-year-old lead singer. Brown had heard about the tragedy through Nate's parents, and by the time he finally got ahold of his then sixteen-year-old nephew, Alex had already been pronounced dead, and Drew had been led away in handcuffs. In a strained voice, Shane announced to his uncle that Mitchie either wouldn't, or couldn't speak, and they were awaiting a diagnosis from a specialist who dealt with PTSD and trauma cases. It was Shane, Brown would later learn, who spend day and night by Mitchie's hospital bed. It was also Shane who was the first to learn _ASL_ so he would be able to understand what she wanted or needed.

Seeing Shane with Mitchie still gave him hope that his nephew would be able to find his old self.

"And... Posted!"

Nate pulled out his own phone to see the latest update.

 _Shane Gray:  
Maybe this summer won't be such a bore if __**Mitchie_Torres**_ _is here to suffer through it with me. You never cease to amaze me with your talent, Mitch._

The video already had over three hundred likes, and sixty some comments. He shook his head, shoving the phone back into his pocket with a smile. His fans were so dedicated to their social media profiles, he had to give them that.

"Nate." Brown muttered, clapping him on the shoulder. "Why don't you take Mitchie, and get her settled in her cabin. I'd like a few minutes alone with my nephew."

Shane opened his mouth to protest, but Nate had already taken hold of her arm, slowly leading her out of the room. He only paused to offer Brown a nod, and throw her duffle bag over his shoulder.

"We'll catch up with you later, man."

"Nate..." Shane called after him. "Hey, wait. I can take care of her..."

Nate shook his head. "Don't worry. I've got her."

He let out an annoyed sigh. It seemed like any chance he got to be alone with her lately, Nate was always there, somewhere in the background, ready to whisk her away if he thought things were getting out of hand.

"Why don't I show you where you'll be staying?" Brown offered, holding the door open. "You can get unpacked, and then you can go and check up on your girl."

Shane grudgingly followed him outside, his expression unreadable. "I don't need a chaperone."

He raised an eye brow. "After that stunt you pulled at the video shoot... You sort of do."

The rock star rolled his eyes, glancing up the pathway. He could just make out Nate and Mitchie in the distance: she was trying to take her duffle bag back from him, but he wouldn't allow it. Nate threw an arm around her shoulders, holding her close so she couldn't try to hit him again. He tried to ignore the pang of jealously he felt: deep down, he knew that Nate and Mitchie had a brother/sister relationship, but he loved being the one that she goofed around with, the one she would pretend to be mad at for three days straight because he refused to allow her to carry her own luggage.

Mitchie was the only thing that was going to make his 'summer of hell' bearable.

He wasn't trying to be rude, he really wasn't. Brown was his favorite uncle, and after Shane's father had walked out on the family, he'd taken on a fatherlier role for the future teen sensation. He just didn't want to be back at Camp Rock, no matter how much he had once loved it there.

"I didn't sign up for this." Shane snapped. "Get my agent on the phone."

That comment made him stop in his tracks. Who was this person standing in front of him?

 _"'Get my agent?'_ " Brown mimicked. "What happened to you, man? That kid on that T.V., that's _not_ who you really are."

The two stared each other down for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Finally, fed up with the attitude, he frowned and pointed to his nephew's chest.

"What happened to the kid who just loved music?"

Shane scoffed, as if the answer was obvious. "He grew up."

"Big whoop!" Brown shot back. "Stop acting like it's all about you."

"In my world." He muttered, glaring down at the ground. "It is."

In the world of the rich and famous, the only person he could ever count on was himself. He never had any idea whether the people he met liked Shane, the kid who just loved music, or if they liked Shane Gray, the pop star they could benefit from.

"What about Mitchie?"

His jaw tightened at the mention of her name. "She's part of my world, isn't she?"

She was one of the most important things in his world, though he'd never admit that aloud in fear of being killed by Jason.

Brown frowned. Shane really was turning into a hothead. Oh well, he knew just the thing to cool him

"Oh look! We're in my world. And in my world- you're considered an instructor at this camp, which means you've got to intruct. Starting, with hip-hop dance at two. And 5, 6, 7, 8."

Shane could only watch in disgust as his Uncle Brown began to do the robot. The moment of distraction was all Brown needed to grab Shane's legs and hoist him over his broad shoulder, before heading off in the direction of the lake.

* * *

"Alright, Mitch... Cabin Six."

 _"You don't know where you're going... Do you?"_

"Shut up." Nate grumbled. "I know my way around here better than you do."

Mitchie smiled back at him innocently.

"Let's go, Michelle."

 _"Lead the way, Nathan."_

He snorted, keeping a firm grip on her hand as they neared the cabin. He was a little wary of leaving her to spend her sleeping hours in a room with strangers, but Brown had made sure that both he and Shane were continently housed nearby. He knew that Mitchie's condition would cause a lot of questions _(why can't she talk, again?)_ , and he also knew that he would have to be the one to translate for her. He figured that he could use the shortest of excuses to explain why Mitchie couldn't speak, that she had been in a bad car accident, but he absolutely refused to tell the rest of the story to a bunch of strangers. No one needed to know that his girlfriend had died in the same accident, or that the person he had once considered to be his best friend had caused it after getting behind the wheel while drunk.

While he loved his fans, it was really none of their business.

He had kept Alex's name away from his own in his public life for her family's sake, and he'd refrained from using Drew's names in any interviews to protect Mitchie. He was still so angry at Drew, Drew had made the decision to drive drunk, Drew had started an argument with Nate over Connect 3's rising career, Drew had called Mitchie a name he would never be able to take back, Drew had jerked the wheel to the right, causing his Range Rover to crash into another car, before it began to roll, launching Alex forward from the backseat.

 _"Nate."_

He kept walking, too engrossed in his own thoughts to notice her frantic signs. Mitchie rolled her eyes, and tried to yank her hand back. He still ignored her.

She knelt down, grabbing the first thing she could find, and chucked at him.

"Ouch, Mitch!" Nate turned to glare at her, rubbing at the back of his head with his hand. "Did you _really_ just hit me with a pinecone."

 _"Sorry."_ Mitchie signed, a blush rising to her cheeks. _"I was trying to get your attention."_

"Oh." He muttered, shooting her an apologetic look. "I was just thinking about... You know what? Never mind. What's up?"

" _Cabin Six is back there."_

Nate cursed under his breath, causing her to fall into a fit of silent, hysterical giggles. He cracked a smile, turning on his heel to lead her back towards the cabin. They took the steps two at a time, Nate pausing at the door to offer her an encouraging wink before swinging it open. She was in luck, it looked like she would only have one cabin mate. He could only pray that it was someone kind, and understanding.

"Hello?" He called, hesitantly stepping into the room. "Anyone here?"

Mitchie poked her head inside. _"Wow!"_

Nate raised an eye brow, but then it hit him. Mitchie had stayed in a dorm room during her summers at that dance camp, she had never really gotten the whole 'camping experience.' Camp fires, s'mores, water fights that started off with super soakers, and ended with everyone jumping into the lake to avoid the chilly air, mosquito bites, staying out late to watch the stars, there was so much she had missed out on.

He was determined to make sure that she had the best summer of her life, even if his primary job was to keep an eye on the hothead. She was going to get everything she wanted, she deserved that much.

"Hello?" He called again, pulling on her hand until she was standing beside him. "Hello?"

When there was still no answer, the two teenagers shared a look before entering the cabin. Nate dropped her duffle bag down onto the empty bed and glanced around the room.

"Brown promised that Shane and I would be close by." He said. "But either way, I'll keep my phone on 24/7, and I'm guessing that Shane will be doing the same."

 _"Great."_ Mitchie rolled her eyes. _"So it'll be just like at home then?"_

"Mitch." Nate sighed, taking hold of her hands yet again. "Come on. You know we're just looking out for you. If Jason was here-"

If Jason would have joined them for the summer as well, she wouldn't have had a moment of alone time. He had been protective of her since the day she was born, and those instincts had only increased after the death of their parents, and the accident. Mitchie loved Jason, it was just exhausting to put up with him.

"You're gonna have a great summer, Mitch." He muttered. "I promise. You won't regret-"

The cabin door swung open again.

"I don't know what they told you." A voice called. "But this is supposed to be a _girl's_ cabin."

"Not _me_!" Nate stuttered. A rare blush rose to her cheeks. " _Her._ She's your cabin mate. I... I'm down the path, somewhere..."

The curly haired girl laughed, letting the door fall shut behind her. "Relax, kid. I'm just messing with..."

She trailed off as their eyes met. He took a step back, his jaw falling slightly. He regained his composure in a matter of moments, forcing a smile as he spoke her name for the first time in years.

"Um... Caitlyn..."

She had to be dreaming. He was _not_ standing in the doorway of her cabin, gripping another girl's hand too tightly. He wasn't really there, calling her by name as if he still knew who she was, and he wasn't smiling at her in that way of his that had always made her go weak in the knees.

Caitlyn never thought she would see Nate Black at Camp Rock again, but she wasn't dreaming, the only boy to ever break her heart was right there in front of her. It was going to be a long summer,


	4. Chapter 4

Caitlyn.

Why hadn't it occurred to him that coming back to Camp Rock would mean seeing Caitlyn again? Nate wanted to smack his forehead in frustration, he should have thought _everything_ through.

Caitlyn spent every summer at Camp Rock to get a little break from her parents.

Suddenly he realized that he hadn't said anything for four minutes straight. Mitchie was staring at him, her eyes full of confusion.

"Um..." He sighed, running a hand through his curly hair. "Mitch, this is Caitlyn. I knew her... I knew her when I was a camper here a couple of years ago."

Caitlyn blinked several times, hurt registering all over her face. "Yeah... Nice to see you again."

Mitchie shot him a hard look, but he waved her away, internally cursing the fact that she was so intuitive when she wanted to be. She raised her hands to start signing, Nate shook his head.

"Can you unpack, Mitch? I need to talk to Caitlyn for a minute."

Caitlyn opened her mouth to protest, but Nate ignored her, grabbing hold of her hand to drag her along behind him. He let the cabin door slam shut behind him, leading her further down the path until he was sure Mitchie was out of earshot.

"Caitlyn..."

"You knew me when you were a camper a few years ago?" Caitlyn demanded, yanking her hand back. "Really, Nate?"

"I'm sorry..." He muttered. "Really, Caitlyn... I didn't... A lot of things that I want to happen this summer, I planned to death, but seeing you wasn't one of them."

"Whatever."

She turned to leave, but Nate caught her arm, spinning her back around. Stubborn as always, she refused to meet his gaze, instead she glared down at the ground.

"Caitlyn..."

"What do you want, Nate?"

"I need to talk to you." Nate said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Look... Even if you hate me, don't take it out on Mitchie. Alright?"

Caitlyn raised an eye brow. "Who?"

"Mitchie." He repeated carefully. "The brunette girl who was in the cabin with me? My sister?"

"You have a sister?" She asked, still looking confused. "Since when?"

Nate laughed despite the situation. He was so used to thinking of Mitchie as his sister that he got confused when mentioning it to someone who didn't know about their living situation. She was his sister, the closest thing he had to a twin, so what if they weren't related by blood, none of that mattered.

"Biologically, she's Jason's little sister." He explained. "My parents took Jason and Mitchie in when we were kids, and we grew up together... Look. There's something you should know about-"

Caitlyn frowned, turning to leave again. "I don't have time for this, Nate..."

"She can't talk!" Nate blurted out. "Mitchie... She's... She went mute after a car accident a few years ago, and she hasn't spoken a word since."

The curly haired dancer's eyes softened. "Oh..."

"She uses sign language to communicate." He added, glancing back at the cabin. "So if she ever needs to tell you something, just have her write it down, or me, or Shane can translate..."

"I know sign language, Nate." Caitlyn said. "My cousin is deaf... Wait. Shane _Gray_ knows sign language?"

Nate chuckled. "Yeah, I know it's surprising, but he was actually the first one to learn."

He glanced at her and tried to smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. While he'd never planned on seeing her again, he had thought about how _hard_ it would be to see her if they were to reunite. He had been right, it was painful. Very painful.

"Well... Mitchie seems pretty cool."

"She is." Nate replied with a grin. "She's a great kid. I don't know what I would do without her."

Caitlyn winced. There was a time when he had said the exact same thing about her. Of course, they had been fourteen and fifteen at that time, but that moment had stuck with her, they'd spent the night after Final Jam hanging out by the docks, watching the stars. He'd said it, right then and there, his shoulder pressed up against hers as they lay on their backs. Of course, he'd told her what a great friend she was right before telling her that he didn't know what he would do without her, but the words had made her heart beat about a thousand times faster just the same.

The day after that was when everything had fallen apart.

Nate sighed, running a hand through his hair again. It was a habit when he got nervous, and she had always thought it made him look adorable.

"I could... Reintroduce you guys." He offered, heading back up the path. "She's really great."

* * *

They walked back to the cabin in silence.

Mitchie had just finished putting the last of her clothes away in one of the dresser drawers. It was Nate's turn to wince as he caught sight of the picture frame sitting on her bedside table.

Caitlyn noticed it too.

In the picture, Nate was sitting on a bright red couch, with his arm thrown around Mitchie's shoulders. Sitting on his lap, with her hand wrapped around the brunette's, was a beautiful, smiling, raven haired girl.

 _It's his girlfriend_. She thought, her eyes narrowing. _She's so beautiful... That has to be her._

"I thought you were gonna leave that at home, Mitch."

Mitchie hung her head. _"It didn't feel right to come here without it..."_  
He let out a long sigh, suddenly feeling guilty. He hadn't meant to upset her.

"It's alright." Nate promised, wrapping an arm around her. "I'm sorry, Mitchie. It looks great."

"Hi..." Caitlyn said, awkwardly raising her hand in greeting. "I'm Caitlyn: camper today, top selling music producer tomorrow. Check me out."

She dropped down on her bed, pressing the space button on her laptop. Seconds later, turntable sounds began blasting from the speakers. Nate and Mitchie shared a look, clearly impressed.

" _Cool!"_ She signed. _"I'm Mitchie."_

Mitchie turned to Nate, waiting for him to translate. Instead, Caitlyn moved her hand from her forehead into the air, the ASL sign for _hello_.

"Hi."

"Caitlyn knows sign language." Nate explained. "You got pretty lucky with your cabin mate, Mitch."

" _Yeah."_ Mitchie replied, beaming at Caitlyn. _"I really did! Speaking of cabins... Where are you staying, Nate?"_

"Not with Shane, that's for sure."

The two high fived just as the cabin door swung open.

Speaking of the devil, Shane stood in the doorway, looking madder than mad, if that were even possible. He reached up to brush a curly piece of hair away from his eyes... Wait. _Curly?_ Shane never wore his hair curly if he could help it, he claimed it made him unattractive, as if _that_ was even possible. He was soaking wet! Mitchie slapped a hand over her mouth before he could see that she was laughing.

" _What happened to you?"_

"Brown thought I needed to 'cool off.'" Shane hissed. "So he threw me in the lake."

Nate shot Caitlyn a quick apologetic look before turning to glance at Mitchie. He couldn't help but laugh, Brown was a comical genius, and Nate applauded him for it. What was the best way to deal with a hot head? Throw him in some cold water to cool him off.

"I hope you didn't unpack everything, Mitchie, because we're leaving. Right now."

Nate's smile disappeared. Shane was leaving Camp Rock over his dead body.

And trying to take Mitchie with him? Yeah, right, like _that_ was going to happen any time soon.

"Chill, man." He muttered. "She's staying here, and the only place you're going is back to your cabin to change into some dry clothes."

Before he could react, Shane stalked forward, catching hold of Mitchie's hand. He yanked, letting the door slam shut as he pulled her along behind him. With only one hand free, she couldn't sign for him to stop.

"Shane."

"No way, Nate." Shane snapped, turning around. "We're _not_ staying here. Get your stuff. I'm calling Jason right now."

In a rare moment of bravery, Mitchie yanked her arm back, and grabbed the phone away from him, shoving it into the back pocket of her shorts.

 _"We're not leaving."_ She signed. _"Nate and I both want to stay, Shane, and so help me, if you try to call my brother, I'll throw your phone into the lake,_ _after_ _I toss your straightener in too."_

"Mitchie..." He drew out. "Give me my phone back, and go pack your bag. We're going home."

"Mitch." Nate muttered, slipping his arm around her shoulders. "Come on. Let's get you back to your cabin."

She stood there for a few moments, looking unsure. While their arguments were usually fun in nature, fights that ended within five or ten minutes, there were plenty that had almost ended with Shane aiming his fist at Nate's face. Jason usually broke those would-be fights up, but since he wasn't around, she felt it was her duty to play mediator.

 _"Shane... I really wanna stay."_

The look in her eyes made him feel a very rare thing: guilt. He suddenly realized just how selfish he was being: this was Mitchie's summer too, and he would do anything to make her happy.

"I'm sorry." Shane said. "We'll stay, Mitch, and you are gonna have the best summer ever."

* * *

"So... Earlier... That was interesting..."

Mitchie rolled her eyes, lifting her duffle bag off of the mattress to shove it underneath her bed. Shane and Nate had finally left her alone to try and unpack themselves. She thought, maybe, she could try to get to know Caitlyn a little better, but the curly haired girl had yet to say a thing.

Until now.

 _"Yeah... You'll get used to it."_ She signed, turning back around. _"Shane always thinks he knows what's best for me, but so does Nate... And Jason. They all mean well, but..."_

Caitlyn smiled despite herself. No matter how much of a grudge she was holding against Nate, she had to admit that he was good with Mitchie. From what she'd witnessed so far, he was as patient and kind as he had always been, and from what she could tell, he loved brown haired girl very much.

"Boys will be boys?"

 _"Yeah."_ She grinned back at her cabin mate, and hopefully new friend. _"Exactly. So, listen... I know it's not always easy to be around someone who can't talk, but..."_

"Mitchie." Caitlyn shook her head, moving to sit beside her on the bed. "Hey. I don't care about that. You seem really cool, I think you and I could become really good friends."

Mitchie beamed at her. Nate was right, she had gotten lucky with her roommate assignment.

"So. Jason's not here?"

 _"Nope."_ There was a far-away look in her eyes. _"He got married two months ago, and with his life always revolving around mine, I wanted to give him and Hayley a break. They're actually shopping for a house for all of us to move into... We won't be there 24/7, cause the guys are going to start touring again in the fall, but it would be nice to stop crowding Nate's parents. Shane pretty much took over the guest room as his own."  
_

Caitlyn smiled. "You must miss him."

She did, in a way. She had just gotten so used to Jason being around her all the time, it felt weird to suddenly be without him for two months. He had been everything to her since the death of her parents, but maybe a break was exactly what the Torres siblings needed. She was going to be seventeen soon, she wanted to learn how to fight her own battles.

But she always missed her big brother during the rare moments they were separated.

 _"Yeah."_ She admitted. _"I do. A lot."_

"Mitch?"

Mitchie shot Caitlyn an apologetic look, jumping to her feet to go and open the door. Normally, she would have made him wait another minute or so before allowing him to step inside, but she didn't want expose his 'bad boy' behavior to Caitlyn just yet.

"Hey." He muttered, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "You still mad?"

She shook her head, allowing him to step around her and enter the cabin. It was one of her major flaws, something she didn't always like about herself, but she could never stay mad at him for long, no matter what he did.

"You promise you're not still mad at me, Mitch?"

Mitchie nodded.

"Then can I please have my phone back?"

He reached out to push a stray piece of hair behind her ear, before holding his hand out. She pulled the phone out of her pocket, gripping it in her fist for a moment longer.

 _"Are you gonna call my brother?"_ Mitchie asked.

"No." Shane said. "I already told you that. I've always kept my promises to you, haven't I?"

Satisfied, she handed the phone back to him. _"Where are you off to?"_

He made a face. "The kitchen. My agent swore up and down that he sent over my allergy list, but the dinner that was just delivered to my cabin would say otherwise."

 _"Shane."_

"What?"

 _"I'll go with you."_ Mitchie offered, reaching for her own phone. _"If you don't mind, I mean."_

"Um... No." He replied, sounding surprised. "Let's go."

She glanced back at Caitlyn, who nodded. While she would have rather stayed behind to hang out with her cabin mate, she was going with Shane for the sake of the kitchen workers. She knew how to keep him in check.

 _"I'll catch up with you later?"  
_

"Sure." Caitlyn replied with a smile. "I'll see you at dinner."

Mitchie grinned at her before following Shane outside. She slipped her arm through his, allowing him to lead the way towards the kitchen. He was silent on the walk over, but he did smile down at her a few times, shoving his hands into pockets. She wondered what he was thinking about, but then she decided that she didn't want to know. With Shane, it was a fifty/fifty shot, he was either annoyed, or he was irritated.

* * *

Shane entered the kitchen, pulling her along behind him. The slamming door startled the only person in the room, a woman in her mid-to-late twenties who was standing behind the counter, a mixing bowl in her hands.

"Hi..." She began, her eyes widening as he neared her. "Can... Can I help you?"

"Do you work here?" He demanded, releasing his grip on her hand. "Well? Do you?"

Mitchie pulled out her phone, ready to text Nate and ask for backup. They had only just arrived, but she could already tell that it was going to get ugly.

"Uh..." The woman stuttered. "Uh... Yes."

"I'm Shane." Shane announced, as if anyone cared. "But I'm sure even the kitchen help knows that."

She smacked her forehead, watching as he reached out to take a cupcake, licking the frosting off of it with his finger. He was so full of himself sometimes, it made her want to hurl. She shoved the phone back into her pocket, as much as she loved Nate, and appreciated his help, she could deal with Shane on her own.

Plus, if he accidently lost it, and snapped at her, she could pretend to be angry about it for weeks, just to get him to say the word _sorry_ over and over again.

The kitchen aid forced a smile. "Of course! It's nice to meet you."

"Actually..." Shane drew out. "It's not so nice. See my manager said he sent over my food allergy list, but since I couldn't even go near my dinner tonight... Can I just talk to whoever's in charge?"

 _"Shane."_

"What?" He demanded, shooting her an apologetic look. Sometimes he got so caught up in the moment, he forgot she was even there. "Sorry... What, Mitchie?"

Mitchie frowned. _"Well, you're kind of being a jerk."_

Shane raised an eye brow in disbelief. Why was Mitchie defending someone she didn't even know?

"And who is she, Mitch? Huh?"

 _"A person!"_ She replied, standing her ground. _"And there's a way to talk to a person, and that's not it."_

While the kitchen aid seemed to be in permanent shock, Shane and Mitchie stared each other down. He was hoping that eventually, she would get tired of challenging him, and leave him to deal with his business, but she wasn't backing down.

"I'll have my manager send it over again." He said in a softer tone, taking hold of Mitchie's arm. "C'mon. Let's go."

 _"Shane."_

"Thank you." Shane whispered in an even more strained tone of voice. He gave her a gentle tug. "Happy now?"

Mitchie beamed at him. _"Much better."_

"Whatever." He muttered, pulling the door open. "Come on, Mitch. Let's go."

* * *

"You're really annoying sometimes." Shane teased as he released his grip on her arm, only to grab her hand. "Did you know that? God, Mitch. Are you _ever_ gonna leave me alone?"

 _"Not anytime soon."_ Mitchie replied with a smirk. _"Aww, c'mon, Shay. Admit it: you love having me around, and you know it."_

"When you're right, you're right, Mitch."

They smiled at each other. It was true, he loved having her around, at the house, in the front row at concerts, backstage in the dressing room, on tour with them. Whenever Mitchie was near, everything seemed easier, and a hell of a lot more fun.

"I'm gonna head back to my cabin." Shane said, after a minute. "Why don't you go meet up with Nate, or that girl you're sharing a cabin with... What's her name again?"

 _"Caitlyn."_ Mitchie empaised, rolling her eyes. _"You suck sometimes, Shane, it's a wonder you haven't forgotten my name yet."_

"It's... Millie, right?"

She smacked him in response, making him laugh, but suddenly his eyes widened at the mention of Caitlyn's name.

"Mitch? Did you say _Caitlyn_?"

 _"Yeah. Why?"_

"Um..." Shane replied distractedly. "No reason... I've just always liked that name... Why don't you go catch up with her?"

Mitchie frowned. _"Why don't you come with me?"_

"Aw, Mitch." He sighed, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "You know I love your company, but I kinda just want to be by myself for a little while."

 _"Are you sure?"_ She asked, still looking skeptical. _"I don't want you to feel alone."_

"I'll be fine." Shane promised, waving her away. "I'll catch up with you later."

He watched her go with a wary gaze. He was still beyond irritated and annoyed with Nate, but he decided that he could push those feelings aside for the time being, because the two band mates needed to have a long talk.


	5. Chapter 5

Mitchie caught sight of Caitlyn in the dining hall. Her curly haired cabin mate smiled and waved her over. _"Hey Caitlyn!"  
_

"Hey Mitchie!" She replied, elbowing the girl sitting beside her. "This is Lola. Lola, Mitchie." _  
_

Lola smiled at her. "So, is this your first year?"

 _"Yeah."_ Mitchie signed, grateful Caitlyn was there to translate. _"Any advice?"  
_

"You're gonna love it here."

 _"Let's hope."_

Caitlyn snorted, and this time it was Mitchie who was rewarded with a jab to the ribs curtsey of her elbow. Mitchie laughed silently and elbowed her back.

Dee La Duke, Brown's second in command, and someone who Mitchie had always been a little afraid of due to her excitable nature, walked out on stage. "Hey Camp Rockers! Next up, let's have a big Camp Rock welcome for... Lola Scott!"

As she watched Lola perform, Mitchie was star struck. The girl's voice was absolutely beautiful, full of raw talent. The song she was singing reminded her of something the old Shane would have loved, and she couldn't help but wish that he was there with her.

She turned to Caitlyn, her eyes wide. _"Wow! She's amazing!"_

"Yeah." Caitlyn agreed with a laugh. "She should be, her mom's on Broadway."

 _"Broadway? Wow..."_

Mitchie finally felt inferior. Yeah, her brother and two of her best friends made up Connect 3, and at one time, she herself could sing, but the kids at this camp came from some of the most famous musicians, dancers and actors the world had to offer. She was Mitchie Torres, a girl without parents, who had been taken in by a rich family. She just happened to be Jason's little sister. While legally his last name was still Jason Michael Torres, he went by the stage name Jason Oliver Green, as Shane's last name was Gray, and Nate's was Black. Until Jason had revealed to the world that he had a sister, no one had ever put two and two together to realize that Mitchie Torres was Jason Green's little sister.

"Yeah, but the kids around here don't care about that. It's all about the bling." She rolled her eyes. That's why Tess over there runs this camp... Tess Tyler, the diva of Camp Rock."

Mitchie raised an eye brow, trying to get a better look at the blonde girl. _"Is she really good?"_

Caitlyn shrugged. "She's good at trying too hard to be good. Understandable cause her mom is T.J. Tyler."

 _"_ _The_ _T.J. Tyler? She's got like a trillion Grammys!"  
_

"A trillion and one, I think." She replied distractedly. Tess, Peggy, and Ella were approaching. " _Great!_ Something wicked this way comes."

Tess Tyler was the type of person who got whatever she wanted because she was pretty. Mitchie could only suspect that she was as talented, if not more so, than her award winning mother. _  
_

"Hey Caitlyn." Tess said, forcing a smile. "Your folks still wowing them on the cruise ships?" _  
_

"Actually, they work in..." Caitlyn trailed off, realizing that Tess didn't care. "Never mind. This is Mitchie Torres. It's her first year." _  
_

Tess gave her the once over. "Oh. Hi. I'm Tess Tyler." _  
_

 _"I know!"_ Mitchie replied eagerly. " _Wow, I love your mom!"  
_

"Um..." The girl drew out, blinking rapidly. "Sorry, I don't speak 'hand signals.'"

Ella and Peggy laughed, Tess turned her attention back to Caitlyn, waiting for an explanation. "What did she say?"

"She said she loves your mom.

"Of course she does."

Caitlyn couldn't help but sound defensive. There was nothing wrong with using sign language, but since Tess didn't understand, she had just chosen to make fun of it. "And it's not called 'hand signals,' Tess, it's called 'sign language.'" _  
_

Peggy thought for a moment. "Hey... Torres... Is your dad Nikki Torres, the composer? My dad staged one of his shows."

Mitchie shook her head. _  
_

"So what does he do?" Ella asked, glancing down at her nails.

She paused, unsure of what to say. Like Nate, she didn't feel it necessary to share her personal life with someone she'd just met. Sure, Connect 3 fans knew that Steve and Connie Torres had died in an accident, but Jason refused to speak about it in any interviews. The memory of their parents were for them alone, he had told her once, and she'd agreed with him. She missed her parents more than anything, but talking about them to the three popular girls wouldn't bring them back, it would just earn her blank and sympathetic glances, and she didn't need any more of that.

Tess's eyes lit up as she realized _why_ Mitchie looked so familiar.

"Are you two stupid?" She demanded, rolling her eyes. "Torres? Hello! She's _Michelle Torres_ , Jason Green's little sister? Oh my god! You are so much prettier in person! Wow! It's cool to meet you!"

"So cool!"

"Major cool!"

Mitchie signed. Yet another person, ready to be kind to her because of her brother. _"I take it you guys are fans of Connect 3?"_

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "They're the biggest Connect 3 fan girls here."

"Duh!" The three girls echoed. "Connect 3 is life!"

Caitlyn and Mitchie shared a disgusted look. Mitchie loved Connect 3, she had always been their biggest fan, but some girls were just so _dedicated_ , it made her wonder if they had lives outside of stalking the band's every more.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

Peggy nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

"Absolutely..." Ella agreed, looking confused. "What are we thinking?"

Tess let out an annoyed sigh. "There's an extra bed in our cabin, it's yours, if you want it."

Mitchie blinked in surprise. _"Really?"_

It was Caitlyn's turn to sigh. She didn't mind translating for Mitchie, but with Tess, it was getting old. Quickly.

"She asked if you really meant it."

"Totally!" The blonde gushed. "We're gonna be great friends. C'mon. Sit with us in the V.I.P. section."

Tess and Caitlyn both seemed to be staring at her, waiting for an answer.

 _"Thanks."_ She said. _"But I think I would rather stay here and hang out with Caitlyn."_

"What did she say, Caitlyn?"

"I'm not her translator, Tess." She said with a grin. "But just this once, I don't mind. She said she's good here, so maybe you guys should just keep walking."

Tess shot Mitchie a withering look. "Whatever."

As soon as the girls were gone, Caitlyn turned to Mitchie, still grinning. "Okay... That was awesome!"

 _"I'm so used to girls using me to try and get to Jason, Shane, and Nate."_ Mitchie signed. _"You didn't care about any of that when I first met you, and I thought that was really cool. You're so down to earth, Caitlyn. I would rather hang out with you than a bunch of posers any day."_

* * *

"So... You're all settled in then?" He asked, worry lines creasing his forehead. "Do you need anything, munchkin?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes. The first time he had tried to FaceTime her, she'd been in the shower, and when she returned to the cabin, she had four missed calls, and six texts. She hadn't even been gone for an entire day yet, and he was already anxious. They'd already been talking for forty-five minutes, Hayley entering and exiting the conversation every now and then as she looked up houses in her price range, though she didn't have to, as Connect 3 could afford every house on the planet.

 _"I'm fine, Jason."_ She promised, rubbing her eyes. _"Are you guys going house hunting tomorrow?"_

Jason nodded, slinging his arm across Hayley's shoulders as she came to sit beside him. "Yup. This one is insisting we get the biggest mansion Jersey has to offer."

"I'm getting you a walk-in closet." Hayley added, grinning at her. "You doing okay, Mitch?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes again. Their lives really did revolve around her own.

 _"I'm great."_ She said. _"Just tired. I think I'm gonna go to bed. I love you guys."_

"We love you too, Mitch!" He said. "Get some sleep, alright? I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Love you, Mitchie!"

 _"I love you!"_

Mitchie ended the call, turning to glance at Caitlyn with a silent sigh. The curly haired girl raised an eye brow, putting her book down onto the table.

"Was that Jason?" Caitlyn asked, pulling her covers back to slip into bed. "Yeah... Your phone was ringing off the hook when you were in the shower."

She rolled her eyes. _"Yep. That's my brother for you. If he had it his way, I wouldn't have come here with Shane and Nate."_

"Really?"

 _"Yeah."_ Mitchie slid underneath her own covers. _"Caitlyn... Can I ask you something?"_

"Of course." She sat up, her elbow pressing into her pillow. "What's up?"

 _"I know it's none of my business..."_ Mitchie began. _"But I care about Nate... Is there something going on between you two? Did something happen? I noticed a lot of tension..."  
_

Caitlyn winced. The truth was, she had never expected to see Nate Black again either.

"Um, no." She said, turning to face the wall. "We hardly knew each other."


	6. Chapter 6

"Got your text." Nate announced, letting the door fall shut behind him. "What's up?"

Shane didn't stop strumming his guitar. "Mitchie okay?"

He nodded, dropping down into the nearest chair. "She was gonna take a shower, FaceTime with Jase and Hayley, and then call it a night. She's having fun, man, no thanks to you."

Shane glared at his young friend. He'd realized that making her leave would have hurt her more than anything, and he'd apologized, hadn't he?

He hated having to say he was sorry.

"What do you want, Shane?" Nate demanded. "It's been a long day. I'm tired."

He finally put the guitar down, leaving it to lean against the wall before turning his attention back to Nate. "Wanna talk about Mitchie's cabin mate?"

The sixteen-year old's jaw tightened. How the hell did Shane know about that already? He couldn't blame Mitchie, because she had no idea what had gone down between himself and Caitlyn.

He could only blame Shane for having such a good memory.

"No." Nate hissed. "I really don't."

"Nate..."

"Damn it, Shane!" He snapped, jumping to his feet. "There's nothing to talk about!"

"Nate." Shane said, gesturing for him to sit again. "You can't avoid this forever."

Nate paused for a moment to realize that for the first times in month, he and Shane were having a real conversation, one that hopefully wouldn't end in an argument. He let out a long sigh, dropping back down onto the chair with his arms crossed.

"I'm not... _avoiding_ anything." Nate muttered. "I just... It was a long time ago, Shane, and she's still so angry at me... What can I do to fix _that?_ Nothing!"

"You could try apologizing."

He let out a bitter laugh. "That's a great idea, Shane! I'll apologize to Caitlyn right after you apologize to everyone you've ever hurt!"

Shane frowned, not used to this side of Nate. He had always counted on the sixteen-year-old to keep the rest of them feeling calm, cool and collected. It felt weird to be having a conversation with him, it seemed like the only thing they did anymore was argue.

No matter what the media thought of him, Shane Gray cared about his friends.

"I was there that day, man." He said. "I remember the look on her face, Nate. Do you?"

* * *

 _What's your problem, man?_

She winced as Nate's voice echoed through her mind.

 _Not again_. She thought. _Please... Not again._

 _You're_ _my problem, man! This camp is making you famous, you're gonna get way too busy to ever have time for any of us anymore, and now you're trying to take Mitchie and Alex away from me too?_

Although she could feel the fabric of her comforter bunching up in her fists, she was unable to wake herself up. The nightmare had haunted her for years, and no amount of therapy or medication could make it go away. After realizing that the medication she had been put on after being discharged from the hospital had made her feel unhappy, and anxious, Nate's mother had thrown the pill bottle away. Shane had dragged her out of her last therapy appointment after overhearing the man ask her one too many personal questions about the accident.

The nightmares came and went: Jason, Shane and Nate had just learned how to deal with it, even if it meant staying up all night with her, holding her while she cried.

 _Drew... You're insane, man. You're my best friend, I'll always have time for you._

Mitchie could feel the tears burning her eyes. Why the hell couldn't she wake up? She didn't want to relive it again.

 _Yeah. Right. I know Mitchie and Alex are still gonna be in your life, in let's say, like two years, when Connect 3 becomes a household name, but me? Yeah, right, Nate. The second the fame starts to get to your head, you're gonna ditch me for Shane, or Jason. You're not gonna want anything to do with me! You wanna know something, man? The_ _only_ _reason your band got signed is because of Shane. Without him, you and Jason are nothing.  
_

 _Drew. Shut up, you know that's not true.  
_

 _Mitchie. Don't defend him._

She felt paralyzed. She just wanted it to stop.

 _I'll defend him if I want to. Jason, Shane and Nate are my family, you insult them, you insult me,  
Whatever, bitch.  
_

 _Hey! What the hell, man? That was uncalled for! What'_

 _You_ _!_ _You're_ _my problem!_

The next line, she knew all too well. Alex, cool, calm and collected Alex had reached out to squeeze her hand before leaning forward. She'd sniffed the air, a look of disgust and anger crossing her face.

 _Drew... Are you drunk?  
_

 _No! No, I'm not drunk! I mean... If I was drunk, could I do_ _this_ _?_

 _Drew!_

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She'd relived that moment a million times before in her nightmares. It always started, and ended the same way: a happy celebration, and her best friend's last words. No matter how many times she had the nightmare, she couldn't change the ending.

"Mitchie?"

Caitlyn had flipped the light on, and now stood over her bed, gently trying to shake her awake. Mitchie sat straight up, her eyes wide with fear.

"Mitchie." She said again, trying to keep a calm tone. She looked worried. "Hey... Take it easy. You were having a bad dream... Are you alright?"

Before Caitlyn could stop her, Mitchie bolted from the cabin, running barefoot down the path towards Shane's own cabin. Tears streamed down her cheeks, blinding her. Just as she reached the cabin, where she could just make out the figures of who she thought to be Shane and Nate, she tripped and fell back down the stairs.

The commotion startled the two boys away from their argument. Shane grabbed his flashlight, shinning it at her as he flung the door open.

"Mitchie?" He demanded, taking the steps two at a time to get to her. "What the hell are you-"

"Mitch!"

Nate was at her side in an instant. The two band members shared a look before each grabbed her arms, pulling them to rest over their respective shoulders. They towed her inside, and the door slammed shut behind Shane.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Shane demanded, leading her over to his bed. "Do you have any idea what time it is... Mitchie?"

He took one look at her face, and all of a sudden, she was in his arms.

Nate let out a long sigh. "Oh no, Mitchie... Not again."

 _"Like I can help it, Nate."_ She replied, glaring up at him. _"Sorry if I'm annoying you."  
_

"Hey." Shane muttered, shooting her a warning look. "That's not what he meant, and you know it."

 _"Sorry..."_

"No." He shook his head, reaching out to take her hand. "Don't apologize, Mitch. Was it the..."

Mitchie nodding solemnly. _"I was back in the car. I couldn't... I tried to tell him to stop..."_

Nate frowned. Deep down, he knew there was a part of her that blamed herself for the accident. He knew that, because he also blamed himself. He should have known something was wrong after he saw Drew stumble in the street as they made their way back to the car. He should have told Mitchie and Alex to hang back, he should have called Jason to come give them a ride home. He could have, he should have, he would have, if he could do it all over again.

It was just depressing as hell when he realized that even if he could change his dreams about the accident, it would never bring Alex back.

"Mitchie." Shane drew out. "That night was _not_ your fault. The only person to blame is Drew. He made the decision to drive drunk."

 _"And we_ _made_ _the choice to get into the car with him that night."_

He tightened his grip on her waist in response. He remembered that night all too well, a hysterical Jason shaking him awake with the news that Drew had been arrested, Alex was dead, and Nate and Mitchie were at the hospital. Upon arriving, he'd pulled Nate into a quick but tight hug before rushing to be with Mitchie. He'd sat by her bed until the early hours of the morning, when she'd finally woken up. At first, he had been more than relieved to see her staring back at him, but then his heart began to ache at the thought that Nate was about to give her the news that no one wanted to hear.

Alex was dead, and Drew was to blame.

"I want both of you to look at me." Shane muttered. "Nate, Mitch, that night was _not_ your fault."

Nate and Mitchie shared a look.

Jason, Shame, their parents, the police, the paramedics, the doctors from the hospital, it didn't matter who told them that they were not at fault. No one could take away the guilt they had been feeling for the last two years. The only person who could have made them feel better had died in the accident that the two teens had walked away from without a scratch.


	7. Chapter 7

Upon entering the cabin, Brown caught sight of Mitchie lying in the arm chair by the window. The creaking of the door had woken her up, and he paused to shoot her a confused grin, but then it hit him.

She must have had another nightmare.

Jason, always the protective one, had called a week in advance to tell him about her vivid dreams, how she was prone to wake up in the middle of the night, tears streaming down her cheeks. She would stumble to the nearest bedroom she could find, it had once been his own, but since he had gotten married, she had started to go to Shane or Nate more and more. The three boys had spent many sleepless nights trying to comfort him. Jason had told him if he ever found Mitchie in the cabin with Shane or Nate, it was only because she needed them. She didn't do well when she was left to deal with the nightmare alone.

Mitchie waved back at him tiredly.

Brown had to step over a snoring Nate as he reached out to yank the covers off of Shane.

"What?" Came his annoyed reply.

He'd finally gotten to sleep around three AM. He had sat in the chair Mitchie lay in now, singing softly along with Nate, who was strumming Shane's favorite guitar. When she fell asleep, he'd covered her with a blanket, changed his clothes, and tossed a pillow at Nate before sliding under the covers.

"Rise and shine, Super Star!"

Shane sighed angrily, turning over to press his face into the other set of pillows. Mitchie could only watch in amusement. He was impossible to wake up, she knew that from experience. He threw a fit any time his 'beauty sleep' was interrupted. There was a quick way to do it, the aftermath just wasn't very pretty.

"Don't make me do this Shane."

"Go. Away."

Nate, who had woken up only minutes before, gave him an encouraging nod. Brown took the flowers out of the vase, tossing them onto the bedside table before he poured the contents of the jar onto the sleeping rock star.

Shane sat up, looking angry. "Hey!"

"Oh, sorry." Brown replied, not sounding very sorry at all. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Fine." He snapped. The only thing I could think about was his hair. "I'm up, okay? I'm up."

"Alright. We've both got classes to teach, yours starts in five." He started to leave. "You might wanna put that mattress out in the sun, it's the only one you're gonna get. Oh, can you put some water in that vase? Flowers look parched. Four minutes!"

Nate and Mitchie couldn't help but laugh. Shane shot them a glare, throwing his covers back. The bathroom door slammed, and locked behind him.

"C'mon, Mitch." Nate took her hand, still chuckling. "Let's go get changed. We've got classes today too."

As they began to walk back towards her cabin, Brown called his name,

"Can you go get changed, love?" He asked. "I need to have a word with Nate."

Mitchie nodded, and Nate leaned down to kiss her hairline before giving her a gentle shove. "Go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

As soon as she was out of earshot, he turned back to Brown.

"If this is about Mitchie and I spending the night in Shane's cabin..."

"It's not." Brown promised him. "You were very responsible with your sleeping arrangements, and I trust you guys. Nate... Why did Mitchie stop seeing a therapist?"

Nate winced visibly. It wasn't something he liked to talk about.

"The _jerk_..." He drew out, it was taking all he had to not use a worse name. "Shane was on his way to the bathroom, and it just happened to be that he had to walk past the room she was in, when he heard the... _jerk_ asking her all these personal questions... About the accident, about Alex, about Drew, about me. He dragged her out of there, and we never went back... Why are you asking?"

He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Mate." Brown muttered, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe it isn't healthy for her to be holding all of that fear inside? I know she's a victim of PTDS, but maybe it she started seeing someone, someone a little more professional, then maybe she could start talking again."

Someone let out a bitter laugh, followed by the slamming of a cabin door.

"Yeah, right." Shane mumbled, looking irritated. "Like _that's_ gonna happen."

"Shane..."

"No." He snapped. "Mitchie is fine the way she is, alright? If she wants to talk to anyone about the... About what happened that night, she knows she can come to me, or Nate, Uncle Brown."

Brown took a deep breath to collect himself. "All I'm trying to say it-"

"Mitchie is fine." Shane said again. "Why are you trying to change her?"

"He's not trying to change her, Shane." Nate muttered, rolling his eyes. "All he's saying is that maybe if Mitchie could find someone to talk to, then maybe she could get back to the way that she used to be."

"Shut up, Nate." He snapped. "That's never gonna happen, and you know it. I'm not putting her through that again. That prick is lucky he didn't get his ass kicked."

* * *

Mitchie could hear the commotion a mile away. Caitlyn was already gone the morning, so she'd quickly changed her clothes, donning a pair of skinny jeans, a pink shirt, and her moccasin boots before heading back out to meet back up with the boys. Her first class of the day happened to be instructed by Shane, so she had been hoping they could walk over together.

As soon as she realized that it was Shane and Nate arguing, she quickened her pace.

"There's no guarantee that more therapy could even help!"

"How do you know?"

"It's not gonna help, Nate!"

"You don't know that, Shane!"

Mitchie's eyes widened. They were arguing about her. Yet again.

"Boys..." Brown drew out, catching sight of her. "Maybe we should save this for..."

"She's not going back." Shane hissed, ignoring him. "You can pay a bunch of money, and drag her kicking and screaming to some shrink if you want, but it's not gonna help. She is never going to be able to speak again, Uncle Brown. She's a lost cause, there's nothing that can help her."

"Shane..."

Alarm swept across his face as he realized that Mitchie had heard every word he'd said. Slowly, he turned to face her, his arms outstretched and his eyes wide.

"Mitch..." He croaked. "I didn't... It wasn't... That came out wrong."

Before any of them could stop her, she bolted, tears streaming down her cheeks. Shane had always told her that her lack of a voice didn't bother him.

Now he thought she was a lost cause?

"Way to go, man." Nate said, their shoulders collided as he brushed past him. "Don't expect to see her in any of your classes today."

Shane opened his mouth to say something, but Brown just shook his head and walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

Three hours later, Nate once again let the cabin door slam shut behind him. Shane didn't bother to look up, his head rested in his hands. For once in his life, he actually felt _guilty_.

How could he have said that about Mitchie?

He didn't think she was a lost cause, not at all! She was Mitchie, his best friend, and he would have killed for her. The only thing he wanted to do was protect her, and make her happy, and in the process of that, he'd ended up insulting her.

How was he going to make this up to her?

"How's Mitchie?" Shane asked. "Did you find her?"

"No." Nate replied through clenched teeth. He'd looked everywhere. "I didn't. Why haven't you been out looking for her?"

"I didn't think she would want to see me right now."

"You might be right about that one, buddy."

The two stared each other down. Nate wanted to tell him off, more than anything, but he realized that his longtime friend was already feeling bad enough, and it wasn't in the seventeen-year old's nature to try and make someone feel worse than they already did.

"I didn't mean it, Nate." Shane muttered. "You have to know that."

"Don't tell me that, man." He said, crossing his arm. "Tell her."

"Where is she?"

Nate rolled his eyes. "I already told you. I don't know where she is, she ran off, and I can't find her."

His phone beeped, and he pulled grabbed at it, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw her name flash across the screen.

I'm okay. I just need to be by myself right now.

 **Okay, Mitch. Text me if you need anything. I'm here for you.  
**

Thanks, Nate. I love you.

 **I love you too, sis.**

"She's alright." Nate told him, shoving the phone back into her pocket. "I don't know how long it's gonna take you to fix this, man."

Shane shrugged in response. "You gonna tell Jason?"

"No." He said, after a minute. "But if you ever say anything like that to her again, Jason will be the least of your worries."

* * *

The only thing that hurt worse than the 'lost cause' comment was that Shane had been the one to say it.

She hadn't waited for Nate to come and find her, she had always counted on him to make everything okay, but for once she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. When she'd realized that he was probably getting gray hairs from worrying about her, she'd taken the time to send him a quick text, before retreating back to her spot by the lake.

"Mitchie?"

So much for alone time.

Tess, Peggy and Ella all lit up the moment they saw her. They were the last people she wanted to see, she wasn't in the mood to deal with them again.

"Oh my gosh!" Tess gushed, dropping down beside her. "It's so good to see you again!"

Mitchie rolled her eyes in response. Why was the world out to get her that day? First the nightmare, then Shane, and now Tess?

Maybe she should have stayed home with Jason and Hayley.

"So." The blonde said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "I think our conversation yesterday got a little over crowded. The offer still stands. The bed is yours, if you want it."

" _There_ you are!" A very familiar voice called. "God, Mitchie, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

A hand enclosed over her own as she was pulled to her feet. She had never been so grateful to see Caitlyn.

"Caitlyn." Tess hissed, a false smile on her face. "We were kind of in the middle of a _private_ conversation."

"Maybe Mitchie should give you her final answer." Caitlyn replied. "Mitchie, do you want to stay here, and listen to Tess talk about herself all day, or do you wanna come down to the lake with me and Lola?"

 _"The lake sounds great."_ Mitchie said, a smile on her face. _"I just need to grab my swimsuit."  
_

"I'll go with you."

The two girls walked away, leaving Tess, Peggy and Ella with their mouths hanging open. When they were sure they were far enough away, Mitchie turned and elbowed her friend.

 _"That was awesome, Caitlyn!"  
_

She laughed. "It looked like you needed a rescue. Are you okay? Nate was looking for you."

Mitchie's face fell.

"Mitchie?"

 _"Um... Let me just run back to the cabin."_ Mitchie signed, turning away from her. " _I'll meet you here in five minutes."_

"Mitchie." Caitlyn caught hold of her hand again. "I know something's wrong... You can talk to me."

 _She's a lost cause, there's nothing that can help her._

"Mitchie?"

 _"Shane thinks I'm a lost cause."_ She admitted finally. _"I overheard the three of them arguing about whether or not they should send me back to a therapist, and then Shane just blurted it out."  
_

Caitlyn blinked in response. She'd known Shane and Jason back in the days when they were campers, but she had not been as close with them as she had once been with Nate. Shane had never been anything but kind to her. She kept up with the latest news of Connect 3 by watching HotTunes, she had seen the lead singer at his worst through the TV, starting an argument for no apparent reason, storming off sets during interviews, because he hadn't liked the question the host had asked him.

Come to think of it, she _had_ seen Mitchie before, out and about with the shaggy haired rock star. His protective instincts had gotten the best of him as he went off on a creep camera man who had gotten too close to the brunette. The video had gone viral, and ended with Shane yanking Mitchie back to his car by a tight grip on her hand. He'd held the door open for her like a gentleman, but sped off before she'd even had a chance to buckle her seat belt.

"Mitchie." She muttered, squeezing her hand. "Shane Gray is a jerk. Why do you care about him so much?"

Mitchie glared down at the ground, suddenly feeling slightly irritated. She didn't like that question, because she didn't want to admit the answer.

"Mitchie? Why do you care about Shane so much?"

She let out a long sigh, finally looking up to meet her friend's gaze again.

"Mitchie?"

 _"Because I'm in love with him."_ Mitchie said. _"And I have been for as long as I can remember."_


	9. Chapter 9

It was his favorite picture of her.

Her dark hair tumbled over one shoulder, falling just below her waist in dark ringlets. Her smile showed a hint of a smirk, as if she was up to something. She had, in fact, been up to something. Shane was staying for the week, and Alex and Mitchie, who was a blur in the background of the photo, had rigged a bucket of cool water to topple down on him the second he opened the bathroom door. Nate, who had been instructed to record the events as they unfolded, had told her that she looked adorable before snapping the picture. It had been the day before he left for Camp Rock, and he'd printed the picture out with the promise to keep it in his pocket until they were reunited. The day after the accident, he'd slipped the photo back into the pocket of his jeans, and carried it around with him everywhere.

"I miss you." Nate whispered. "God, I wish you were here, Alex. You would know how to make Mitchie feel better."

A hand landed on his knee.

 _"She'd tell me to kick Shane where it hurts."_ Mitchie replied. _"Revenge first, apologies later."_

He laughed sadly, offering her a hand to pull her up the ledge he was sitting on. "Mitch... Where have you been?"

She shrugged, and he knew that she either didn't want to talk about it, or she had wandered around aimlessly until somehow she'd figured out to make her way back to him. He guessed it was the latter of the two, as Mitchie was prone to getting lost.

"Are you okay?"

Mitchie shrugged again. She'd gone down to the lake with Caitlyn and Lola, and she'd had a great time, but even an afternoon of fun couldn't take away the memory of Shane calling her a 'lost cause.'

"Mitchie."

 _"Do you think I'm a lost cause?"_ She asked finally. _"Be honest with me, Nate."_

"No, Mitch, I don't." Nate replied, sounding annoyed. "And neither does Shane. He just doesn't want you to go through that again. I don't care if you don't speak another word for the rest of your life. You're my sister, and I love you."

 _"I love you too."_

He sighed when she took the picture out of his hand, squinting at it closely. A sad smile crossed her face. She missed Alex, more than anything.

"Would she really have told you to kick Shane where it hurts?"

Mitchie raised an eye brow. _"It's Alex, Nate. Think about it."_

He did think about it for a moment, and then he began to laugh. Alex was as smart as she was devious. She would have killed for the people she loved, she'd gone up against girls who had once bullied Mitchie, she'd challenged Shane even in his pre-diva days. He missed her feisty side, the way she wasn't afraid of anything, but he also missed her sweet side, singing along any time he wrote a new song, sending flowers and a dozen balloons to him after having to miss his very last Final Jam performance.

He just missed _her_.

"Yeah." He muttered. "You're probably right."

Nate sighed again and jumped down, before holding his arms out to her. She scooted forward until she was close enough for him to grab. Nate's hands gripped her waist as she slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Are you gonna go talk to him?"

Mitchie nodded, a far-away look in her eyes. _"I don't know what to say to him."_

"Don't say anything." He advised, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "Let him do the talking. He needs to apologize to you, Mitch. Don't let him sweep this under the rug."

She shot him a guilty smile. It was her weakness, she couldn't deny that, she had always forgiven Shane for everything, without an apology.

"Want me to walk you?"

Mitchie nodded again, slipping her arm through his. The last time he'd talked to Shane, the pouting rock star had stalked out of his cabin, guitar in hand. Nate could only guess that he had gone to sit out by the water to work on a new song. When they were campers, Shane had always found the water the most peaceful place to pound out ideas for lyrics.

He was going to make the hothead apologize to her.

And then, a curly haired girl passing by them made him forget about Shane for a moment.

"Hey! Caitlyn!"

"Oh..." Caitlyn paused, but didn't look him in the eye. "Hi, Nate. Hey Mitchie, we still on for dinner?"

 _"Sounds great!"_ Mitchie replied with a smile. _"Um, Nate? I think I should go talk to Shane alone... I need to start fighting my own battles."_

"Mitch..."

 _"Please."_ She signed. _"I can handle Shane on my own."_

"Fine." Nate muttered, sounding annoyed. "Just keep your phone, alright? I can be there within thirty seconds."

Mitchie reached out to ruffle his hair, something she knew he hated, before taking off down the path. The truth was, she would have preferred if Nate were there for the conversation she was about to have with Shane, but she knew that her curly haired twin brother was keeping something from her. What, she had no idea, but she could only suspect that it had something to do with Caitlyn.

"Is she okay?" Caitlyn asked, hesitantly making her way over to stand beside him. "She told me what Shane said earlier, and then I caught Tess Tyler and her minions trying to win her over again."

"What?" Nate raised an eye brow. Mitchie hadn't said a thing about Tess Tyler. "What are you talking about, Cait?"

She winced at the nickname, and he shot her an apologetic look. Like Mitchie's weakness with forgiving Shane so easily, it was going to be a hard habit to break, when he'd been calling her _Cait_ or _Caity_ for years.

"Mitchie didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Yesterday." Caitlyn said. "As soon as Tess, Ella and Peggy found out that Mitchie was with you guys, they started acting like her best friends. She told them off yesterday, but I don't think they're gonna leave her alone anytime soon."

He sighed. It was people like Tess Tyler that made him feel so protective of Mitchie. The only thing Jason, Shane, and himself had ever wanted for her was to have as normal of a life as possible.

Which was kind of hard to achieve, when she just happened to be the closest friend of one of the hottest bands in America.

"Damn it."

"Nate?"

"You know why Jason uses the last _Green?_ " Nate asked suddenly. He didn't bother to wait for her to answer. "Because he thought Mitchie would be safer if they didn't share the same last name in his public life... It was a nice idea, but it doesn't really help her out at all."

Caitlyn laughed. "I always thought it had to do with his two band mates having the unfortunate coincidence of having last names that doubled as the name of some very depressing colors."

"Here we go again." He couldn't help but smile. "You know, Caitlyn, not everyone can pull off the bright colors like you can."

They both laughed. It was an old joke, he'd constantly made fun of her in their younger days for her love of bright, neon colors. He didn't know anyone else that could look beautiful while wearing a startling shade of orange.  
Caitlyn stopped laughing abruptly. She had to be dreaming. Why was she having an actual conversation with the one person she swore she would never speak to again?

Because she couldn't stay away from him.

And she couldn't hate him, no matter how hard she tried.

"I should..."

"Caitlyn." Nate caught her hand. "Stop... Just wait a minute. Please?"

"Nate." Caitlyn drew out, shaking her head. "This isn't a good idea, and you know that. I'm sorry, but I can't pretend like we don't know each other."

"I'm not asking you to do that!" He snapped. "I just want to talk, Cait. Give me two minutes."

"Nate..."

"Please."

"Fine." Caitlyn let out an annoyed sigh, dropping down into the grass. "What do you want?"

Nate sighed too. Caitlyn was so stubborn; how could he have forgotten that? He'd always loved that about her, but when she acted headstrong, their personalities tended to clash, and he could never get a word in edge wise.

"You have thirty seconds to start talking, or else I'm walking away.

"Okay." Nate grumbled. "Look... Cait... You and I had such a great friendship... What happened to us?"

Caitlyn stared back up at him. "You know damn well what happened, Nate."

He winced visibly. Why did he always seem to say the wrong thing in the heat of the moment? Or maybe it was just Caitlyn who just brought out that side of him. He'd already hurt her once, and he didn't want to do it again.

"Can we be friends again?" Nate asked. "Please?"

She remained silent for a moment, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Nate, but I think too much has happened between us to ever get back to the way we were before."


	10. Chapter 10

Shane had always found sitting by the water peaceful.

And judging from where he was currently sitting, guitar cradled in him arms, she could see why.

Mitchie couldn't help but watch him.

He was strumming the guitar softly, and there was a notebook on the bench beside him. From where she was standing, she could see that he'd drawn heavy black lines across pages of would-be song lyrics. That was never a good sign. If he was having a hard time being creative, which was almost never a problem, then he must have felt _really_ bad about his 'lost cause' comment.

As she took a step forward, a twig crunched under her boot, alerting the lead singer that he was not alone. He stopped playing abruptly.

"Can't a guy get some peace?" Shane hissed, whipping his head around. "Mitch?"

 _"Hey..."_ She signed, awkwardly raising her hand in greeting. _"What were you just playing? It sounded kinda different."_

He couldn't help but look annoyed. "Then my usual stupid cookie-cutter pop-star stuff? Sorry to disappoint."

Mitchie shot him a warning look, and he sighed in response. He shouldn't have snapped at her, he knew that, and it had only made him feel worse. She was his Mitchie, one of the only people in the world that he could trust. She didn't deserve his shitty attitude.

 _"You didn't."_ Mitchie replied, grinning at him. _"I liked it. I mean, it was good for 'stupid cookie-cutter pop star stuff.'"_

Shane blinked before he burst out laughing. She'd sounded exactly like Alex. "Wow, you really know how to make a guy feel better, Mitch."

He reached out to take her hand, pulling her down to sit beside him. They sat in silence for a few moments, hands intertwined. She blinked, his earlier comment suddenly registering in her mind.

 _"I thought you loved your sound."_ Mitchie said. " _You created it here, you're like a Camp Rock legend."_

"Some legend." He replied with a frown. "I only play the music that the label thinks we'll sell. That's it."

Still blinking, she placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to think of what she could say to him. She'd always believed that because he'd gotten his break at such a young age, he'd just let the fame go to his head, though the same couldn't be said about Jason and Nate. Could it be? The real reason Shane Gray was a jerk, was because he didn't like the music his label was making him play?

She would have been lying if she said that she didn't miss Connect 3's old sound. She'd grown up with it: Jason had sung her to sleep every night when she was a little girl, Nate was always asking her for her opinions on his latest song, which eventually led to three-hour long song writing sessions between them, and before the fame, Shane had always been dragging her off to play her a new song, just two of them. The last time she'd heard his old song had been on her sixteenth birthday the previous summer, where he'd written and performed a song for her called 'Hello Beautiful.' While the video had made it to YouTube, curtsey of Nate, when he'd brought up the idea of recording the song for their next album, their manager had been quick to reject it.

It was the label's fault that Shane had transformed from a nice guy into a jerk.

She almost didn't blame him.

 _"You don't think that song would sell?"_

Shane let out a defeated sigh. "I don't know."

 _"Well, you'll never know if you don't try."_ Mitchie sighed, a smile appearing on her face. _"And by the way, I know one girl that would buy that song."_

Shane sighed again. He appreciated her advice, he always did, but if he was being honest, Mitchie had never had to buy a CD, she got to hear every song before it was released, because she was constantly traveling with them, thanks to Jason's overprotectiveness.

"You've never had to buy a song in your life." He grumbled. "Not any of Connect 3's songs, anyway."

Mitchie shot him a hard look, and he reached out to take her hand, squeezing softly. He was surprised that it was her who had come to find him, he thought he would have had to apologize to her for at least a week before he could get her to glance his way again. But here she was, sitting beside him, trying to console him.

God, he loved her.

"Mitch..."

 _"Yeah?"_

"I'm sorry." Shane muttered, meeting her gaze. "I didn't mean to say that you were a lost... I didn't mean to say what I said, and I don't believe what I said either. You're not a lost cause, Mitch. You're beautiful, and talented, and sassy, and funny, and genuine, and true, and one of a kind... You're my friend, my best friend, and I only want you to be happy, and safe."

He really did look sorry. For once, since the fame had gone to his head, he looked genuinely sorry. She knew she should have stood her ground, and told him off, but Shane Gray was her weakness.

She couldn't stay angry at him.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

Mitchie nodded slowly, a smile gracing her lips as she watched the relief flood across his face. Suddenly, she was in his arms, practically sitting on his lap, but he didn't seem to mind, or notice.

"I love you, Mitch."

 _"I love you too, Shay."_

Shane pulled back to look her in the eyes. "I know I'm gonna have to make this up to you, so instead of trying to read your mind, why don't you just tell me what you want... You don't wanna prank Nate again, do you?"

She couldn't help but laugh silently. The last time Shane had acted like a jerk towards her, what they'd fought about, she couldn't remember, she'd told him that she needed his help in pranking Nate, who was a master prankster, before she would even consider forgiving him. He'd agreed before placing an accordion folder underneath Nate's closed door. Mitchie had been the room with him, her phone out to record a secret video. When she asked him to get her a class of water, the curly haired guitarist had readily agreed. The second he was in front of the door, Shane had stomped on the folder, covering Nate with Talcum powder. Tears had streamed down her cheeks from laughing so hard as she'd waltzed into the hallway, announcing to Shane that he was finally forgiven.

Shane ended up taking the fall to save her from Nate's promise of revenge.

The next week, before the lead singer's daily shower, Nate had snuck into the guest bathroom with a packet of a bright, neon pink power. He'd dragged her along with him, and she could only watch as he unscrewed the shower head and poured the concentrate into the head before putting everything back together. Instead of getting water, Shane had been hit with a colorful spray that stuck with him for more than a few hours. An angry groan had filled the house, and his bad mood had lasted for three days straight.

He'd also informed her later that he would never be pranking Nate again.

"Mitch?"

There was one thing that was still bugging her, and if the two people involved weren't going to tell her anything, then Shane was the next best thing.

"Oh god..." Shane groaned. "You wanna prank Nate again, don't you? God, Mitchie, I don't think that's a good idea. There's gotta be another way that I can make this up to you... I really don't want to be pink again."

 _"I don't want to prank Nate again, you idiot."_ Mitchie rolled her eyes, reaching out to slap his knees. _"And by the way, pink is so not your color."_

He eyed her warily. "What do you want, Mitch?"

 _"Tell me what happened between Nate and Caitlyn."_ She signed. _"I can't fix it if I don't know what happened."_


	11. Chapter 11

"Are you trying to get me killed?"

Normally, his comment would have made her laugh, but by the seriousness of his tone made her stop. The way he sounded, she might as well as have asked him to pull another prank on Nate.

 _"What?"_

"Mitchie." Shane shook his head. "I can't tell you that... It's not my story to tell."

Mitchie frowned at him, and he sighed in response. He wanted to tell her, he was dying to, she deserved to know the truth, especially if she was going to start a friendship with Caitlyn.

But it wasn't his story to tell.

 _"Shay..."_

Shane sighed again. He owed her, he owed her a lot.

"I'll tell you what I can." He said. "But you're gonna have to get Nate to tell you the rest."

Mitchie raised an eye brow when he took her by the hand and began to pull her along behind him. He led her down the pathway and into his cabin, locking the door behind him. She raised her hands to start signing, but Shane shook his head.

"The camp has ears." He explained. "You know how much I hate gossip magazines, Mitch. I'm not about to be the reason this gets out to the tabloids, and make Nate look like the bad guy."

She blinked. Even when he was a jerk, he still cared about his friends, he just didn't show it very often.

 _"What can you tell me?"_

"Nate and Caitlyn used to be really good friends."

Mitchie looked stunned. Shane placed a hand on her shoulder, slowly easing her down onto the bed. It was a lot to process, he knew, especially since Nate had always been so careful when it came to telling old camp stories to Mitchie and Alex.

 _"Nate basically told me that they knew each other casually."_

"He wasn't trying to lie to you, Mitch." Shane muttered. "The truth is, it bugs him to talk about it, because it wasn't pretty when it ended."

Nate would never purposely lie to her, deep down she knew that, but it still hurt that he had kept his supposed friendship with Caitlyn a secret. She stood up, starting towards the door.

"Mitch." He groaned. "Where are you going?"

 _"To talk to Nate."_ Mitchie replied. _"Now are you coming with me, or not?"  
_

With another groan, Shane jumped to his feet and took hold of her hand. "Alright... Let's go."

* * *

 _I love you...  
_

 _Alex? Alex! Stay awake, damn it! Alex? Talk to me! Alex! Say something... Please!_

His eyes flew open.

He couldn't remember falling asleep, but he must have. Slowly, he stood up and made his way towards the bathroom. His hair was matted down with sweat, his skin was pale white, and his hands were still shaking.

He _hated_ that dream.

As if seeing his girlfriend's last moments wasn't enough, he'd been forced to relive almost every day it in a reoccurring nightmare for the last two years.

Nate let out a shaky sigh as his cabin door swung open.

"Nate?"

He poked his head out the door and caught sight of Shane and Mitchie. His brunet best friend looked irritated, and he couldn't help but wonder what possibly could have done to make her so angry.

"What's going on?" Nate asked, dropping down onto his bed. "Mitch? What's wrong?"

Shane raised an eye brow. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, man."

Mitchie was still staring straight ahead, and it only made the seventeen-year-old feel more concerned. He reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder, and the sudden contact seemed to break her from her trance.

 _"You used to be friends with Caitlyn?"_

Nate blinked several times, before shooting Shane a glare. Besides the lead singer, Jason was the only other one who knew what had gone down between the two teenagers.

It had to have been Shane. Jason wouldn't have told a sole.

"Damn it, Shane!" Nate snapped. "You just had to tell her, didn't you?"

"It was the only way to get her to forgive me." Shane replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his famous leather jacket. "Anyway, she deserved to know the truth, man. Caitlyn is her friend too."

The curly haired guitarist rolled his eyes. "Shane. It's _Mitchie._ She has always forgiven you at the drop of a hat. Face it, man, she tricked you."

Shane and Mitchie shared a look. Somewhere deep down, he knew his young friend was right, but he didn't care. She was his Mitchie, and he didn't like keeping secrets from her. Just like with him, Nate and Mitchie had always told each other the truth.

She had a right to know.

"Oh well." He shrugged. "I'll sleep better with a clear conscious... Look, I'll leave you two alone to talk... See you guys at dinner?"

Nate looked surprised. "You're eating in the mess hall with us?"

 _"Brown told him that he'll get ants in his cabin if he keeps waiting for someone to take his trays away."_ Mitchie explained. _"I tried to remind him that we're not at home, so he doesn't have a staff to wait on him hand and foot. He started to throw a tantrum, so I told him that if he started eating in the mess hall, people there would be willing to clear his tray away."_

"Meaning, you and I are gonna have to take turns taking care of his tray?"

 _"Most likely."_

Shane laughed, bending down to press his lips to her forehead. "There's a downside to everything, guys. See ya later."

The second he was gone, Mitchie turned her attention back to Nate.

 _"Were you ever gonna tell me?"_

He ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly? No, Mitch. I wasn't... It was two years ago, and I just wanted to forget that it ever happened..."

Mitchie let out a silent sight. It hurt to know that he'd been keeping something from her, and the fact that he still wasn't willing to come clean about whatever had happened between him and Caitlyn was just making her more curious.

 _"I thought we were friends, Nate."_ She signed, moving towards the door. _"I thought we told each other everything..."_

Nate let out a groan. Damn it, she was good at guilt trips.

His hand shot out, fingers locking around her wrist as he pulled her back to sit beside him on the bed.

"Alright, Mitch." Nate muttered. "I'll tell you everything."


	12. Chapter 12

" _Nate?"_

"Hmm?"

 _"You realize that for me to know the full story, you need to actually start talking... Right?"_

A blush rose to his cheeks, making him feel very much like Mitchie right at that moment. She was still sitting beside him on the bed, her expression unreadable, and he didn't blame her. This was his fault; he should have told her the truth the second he'd laid eyes on Caitlyn.

He thought he had been protecting her by not telling her anything... He now realized how stupid that sounded.

 _"You said you'd tell me everything. What happened, Nate?"_

It wasn't a day he liked to think about. It made him cringe every time he did remember it.

* * *

 _Camp Rock: Last Day Of Camp_

 _Two Years Ago_

"Shane... Who could you possibly be talking to?"

He shoved his things into the trunk of Jason's old Honda, and shot his friend a hard look. His parents had dropped it off the night before, they had had to make it to the airport in time to meet Mitchie and Alex's plane.

Mitchie

Nate laughed. Only the klutzy sister he knew and loved could make it through an entire summer at a dance camp, and not hurt herself until the end of the very last performance. She was going to be fine, her arm was broken in three different places, and the last text he'd received from Alex was a video of Mitchie acting high and goofy because of the pain medication the doctor had put her on. He planned on saving the video, bringing it out for everyone to see on her birthday, just a month away. She'd done the exact same for each of them, finding the most embarrassing footage she could manage, and putting the DVD, always a DVD _(which she would later give to them as a part of their birthday present)_ , into the DVD player before pressing play. He was overdue on revenge.

"Yeah, man." Jason muttered. "Who _are_ you talking to?"

"Mitchie." Shane said, as if the answer were obvious. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Mitchie's a klutz." Nate replied with a laugh. "No matter how many times she falls; she gets back up. She's fine, dude."

The lead singer didn't look convinced. He pressed the phone back to his ear. "Do you need us to stop off and get you anything?"

His own phone rang. He glanced down at the caller ID, a broad grin spreading across his face.

"Well hello there, pretty lady."

"Hey yourself." Alex said with a laugh. "Have you left yet? I miss you."

Nate sighed. The distance was never easy, but besides Mitchie, Alex had always been his biggest supporter. He'd missed her too, more than words could describe.

"No." He said. "We haven't. We could have been on the road already, _if_ a certain person would get off his phone."

She laughed again. "Ugh! I know! They've been on the phone for twenty minutes already! I know, I shouldn't be complaining, because I've had Mitchie all to myself for the last month, but this is getting ridiculous. I'm _so_ bored, there's nothing on TV, my best friend won't get off her phone, and my boyfriend is taking forever to get home!"

"Absentee boyfriend, huh?" He asked. "This guy sounds like a real piece of work."

"Oh, he is." Alex replied. "He's stubborn, he loves to argue, he zones out during conversations, because he's focused on something else, he's _always_ writing a song, but he never lets me hear any of them until they're absolutely _perfect_..."

Nate rolled his eyes. Alex was always rambling, and he loved that about her, but once she got started, it was hard to get her to stop.

"Lexi..."

"He's also got adorable curly hair, a great smile, pretty eyes, he's an _amazing_ kisser..."

"Nice save." Nate teased. "Look. Shane's about to hang up with Mitchie right now. I'll be home in a little under two hours, okay?"

"Okay." Alex whispered. "Hurry. Please?"

"I promise. I love you, Lexi."

"I love you, Nate."

With a smile on his face, he hung up and shoved the phone back into his pocket before whacking Shane on the back of his head. As Jason was doubled over in laughter, the future shaggy haired rock star told Mitchie to hang on as he turned to glare at his young friend.

"What the hell was that for?"

"The sooner you hang up the phone." Nate said. "The sooner you can be with Mitchie in person."

Shane thought it over for a moment. "Mitch? We're on our way back right now, alright? I know, I can't wait to see you. Yeah... I... I love you too, Mitchie."

Before Jason and Nate could rag on him, Shane grabbed their gleaming trophy from the oldest hand member and climbed into the front seat.

The two boys shared a knowing look.

Mitchie had been living with him for the last five years, and though biologically she was just Jason's sister, that didn't matter to him at all. They had been friends since they were in diapers, Nate had even been at the hospital the day

Mitchie was born, though he had no memory of it. They'd been in the same grade in school, and he'd gotten after anyone who bullied her. He had been with her through the death of her parents, he had been the one to hold her hand at the funeral, though he had a vague memory of Jason gripping her free hand.

Biological or not, Mitchie was his sister, and nothing could ever change that.

Did he have a problem with Shane's crush on Mitchie? Of course not, he just hoped Shane knew what the consequences would be in the rare, very rare, case that he broke Mitchie's heart.

"Nate!"

He laughed as he caught sight of a very familiar looking curly haired girl. They'd stayed up all night, looking at the stars, and watching the sun rise. He was exhausted, but it had been totally worth it.

Caitlyn Geller was one of the best friends a guy could ask for.

In some ways, she did remind him of Alex, her sense of humor, her sarcastic trait, and though he would never admit it, hanging around with Caitlyn all summer had made him miss his girlfriend a little less.

"Cait!" He called back, sounding just as eager. "I was hoping I'd get to see you before you left."

"I knew it would ruin the rest of your summer if you didn't get to say goodbye to me." Caitlyn replied with a laugh. "Admit it: I make your days brighter."

Nate glanced at her neon-orange shirt. "That's... True, I guess."

"Shut up, idiot." She shoved him. "I know you're gonna miss me!"

"When you're right, you're right, Caity."

They stared at each other for a few moments, and then she was suddenly in his arms. She wasn't big on hugs, and she didn't think he was either, though she had no way of knowing that he hugged Mitchie and Alex at least once a day.

Caitlyn gave into the hug, because it was Nate, and on the rare occasions that he did hug her, she never wanted him to let go.

"I'm gonna miss you, Cait."

The words made her heart melt. She closed her eyes, trying to work up the courage to say the words she had been practicing all morning long.

It was now or never.

"Um... Nate?"

Nate pulled back to look her in the eyes, his own full of concern. "What's wrong, Caitlyn? You okay?"

The next words to leave her mouth could either change things for the better, or ruin the friendship they had spent years building.

She had to take that risk.

"Caitlyn."

"I... Um..." Caitlyn began, shaking her head. "I like you, Nate."

Silence.

That was all there was.

Silence.

Nate's look of concern had turned into a look of shock, and he seemed to be in a frozen debate with himself, unsure of how to respond.

"Um..." Nate drew out, blinking rapidly. "I like you too, Caitlyn. You're a great friend..."

Tears formed in Caitlyn's eyes, but she held them back. She wasn't going to let him see her cry, she wasn't going to let Nate see her break down. He'd always told her how strong she was, that he loved that about her, so that's what she was going to do. She was going to be strong.

Even if Nate didn't love her back.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." She hissed. "What's the real problem, Nate? Is it me? Am I not attractive enough? Am I not good enough for you? Are you _ashamed_ of me?"

"Caitlyn." He snapped, sounding angry. "When did I ever say that? First, you are absolutely gorgeous, and second, I would _never_ be ashamed of you! You're my friend, Cait, my best friend, and I care about you."

Her face fell. "But you don't like me..."

"I have a girlfriend." Nate whispered, the guilt was eating him alive. "Who is also very beautiful, and kind, and who I'm in love with... I'm sorry, Cait, but I don't feel that way for you... I never have."

* * *

He'd lied straight to her face.

Yes, he'd been head over heels in love with Alex, he would always love her.

But he liked Caitlyn.

He'd first discovered his feelings the first day of camp that summer. Caitlyn had beamed at him as he'd climbed out of the backseat of his parent's car, before throwing her arms around his neck to welcome him back. Caitlyn was beautiful, she was talented, she was funny, she was stubborn, she was sarcastic, she was kind. They had always been able to connect on a way that he had Alex couldn't.

And that made him feel so guilty.

Alex was his _girlfriend_ , the love of his life, he shouldn't have had any romantic-type feelings for his summer camp best friend,

But he had had those feelings, and he couldn't take that back.

 _"Nate."_

He was expecting a lecture, because she'd always been so quick to give them to Shane. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck, holding onto him for dear life.

Nate's hand made hesitant circles across her back. "Mitchie?"

Mitchie pulled back to look him in the eye. _"Yeah?"_

"Why... Why aren't you yelling at me?"

She threw her arms around him again in response. Nate hugged her back this time, pressing his face into her shoulder.

He had comforted her so many times before, it was her turn to comfort him.

 _"Nate."_ Mitchie signed, after she pulled away. _"_ _I_ _know that you loved Alex,_ _you_ _know that you loved Alex._ _Alex_ _knew that you were in love for her! It's okay that you had feelings for Caitlyn. You never would have done anything to hurt Alex."_

Nate let out a long sigh. "I did like Caitlyn, Mitchie... But I swear, I was in love with Alex."

For reasons only known to her, Mitchie was smiling.

 _"I know you did."_ She said. _"You don't have anything to prove."_

Mitchie reached out to take his hand, and he gave her a grateful squeeze. There was no one on earth quite like Mitchie Torres.

He was lucky to have her.

 _"You're not mad at Shane for telling me... Are you? I_ _did_ _kind of make him..."_

"No, Mitch, I'm not mad." He promised, smiling for the first time. "I should have told you a long time ago... I honestly thought I would never see Caitlyn again. I didn't plan on ever coming back here, but Shane..."

 _"Shane."_ Mitchie repeated, rolling her eyes. _"What are we gonna do, Nate? I can't stand to see him act like that... I miss the old Shane. So much."_

Nate squeezed her hand again. "I know, Mitchie, so do I... Can I tell you something?"

 _"Anything."_

"I've been thinking of a way we could get the old Shane back."

 _"Really? What is it?"_

Nate took a deep breath, squeezing her hand for a third time. "I was thinking... If you could learn how to speak again, and sing again... Mitch, Shane's attitude change happened a lot longer than I think we both realize... He's been this way since the accident."

* * *

Nate didn't know just how many times she'd watched the video.

In fact, she didn't think he knew the video even existed, but she did, and she watched it anytime she needed a reminder that at one point in her life, she had been happy.

* * *

 _The Black's Living Room_

 _Two Years Ago_

"Look who _finally_ got off the phone!" Alex teased, staring directly into the webcam on her MacBook. "Mitchie's boyfriend Shane was just calling to check up on her... Tell em' why we had to miss the boys 'Final Jam' performance, Mitch."

"Because..." She replied with a sheepish smile "I... Well..."

She held her arm, the one wrapped in plaster, up for everyone to see.

"Because you're a klutz? Because you can't go a week without falling flat on your ass?"

"Shut up, Alexandra."

"Make me, Michelle."

Mitchie stuck her tongue out at her best friend in response. "In case you ever see this, Jason? Shane? Nate? I'm _sorry_ that I tripped, and fell... Down three flights of stairs, and I'm sorry that I missed your Final Jam performance, but I know for a fact that you guys rocked it, and I'm more than ninety percent sure that you won, because you guys are so amazingly talented. Shane... I know you're never gonna let me hear the end of this, but I love you, and I'm sorry."

Alex nudged her with her elbow. "That was a pretty good apology, Mitch."

"And you caught it on camera. Nice job, Lex."

The raven haired girl slipped her arm around Mitchie's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I think we have a very special guest... Drum roll, please!"

"Russo! Torres!"

* * *

Mitchie stabbed the space button on her laptop to pause the video. She had never watched it in its entirety, she found it too painful to hear Drew's voice, let alone see his face.

But she was curious, so against her better judgment, she hit the space bar again, and resumed watching the video.

* * *

 _The Black's Living Room_

 _Two Years Ago_

"Russo! Torres!"

"Drew!"

He came into view, dropping down beside Mitchie with a sigh. He glanced at his own reflection on the computer screen before turning to shoot Alex a questioning look.

"Why?"

"Why not?" She replied with a smile. "We were bored, and the boys aren't here, and Mitchie's pain medication has finally worn off. So. Why not?"

His gaze moved to her. "Are you alright, Mitch? Nate was pretty hysteric when he called me... How do you fall down three flights of stairs? I don't understand."

"We were staying on the third floor." Mitchie rolled her eyes. "And I wasn't looking where I was going..."

"And she's a klutz!"

"Shut. Up. Alex."

Alex threw her arms around her again. "You know you love me, Mitchie!"

"I do love you." She said, hugging her back. "But you're a pain in my ass."

"Aww! Likewise!"

Drew couldn't help but laugh. "You two are really the weirdest set of best friends I have ever met."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Mitchie muttered, elbowing him. "So. Are we all gonna hang out when Nate gets back?"

He offered her a playful wink.

"You know it, Mitch."

* * *

She never got used to hearing the sound of her own voice, but she did miss it.

Mitchie couldn't remember what she had said after Nate told her about his plan, but she was pretty sure she'd lied to him, signing that she was tired, and that she wanted to take a nap before dinner.

He'd let her go with a reluctant sigh.

Nate was a genius, she knew that he'd put a lot of thought into his idea, and it could potentially work. There was only one problem.

She wasn't sure if she would be able to find her voice again.


	13. Chapter 13

"Mitchie?"

She jumped, slamming her laptop down before Caitlyn could see Alex's face.

Alex was her best friend, she always would be, but Alex was also gone, and Caitlyn was the first girl she had felt close to since the funeral. Knowing the full story hadn't changed her views on anyone: Nate was still her brother, Caitlyn was still her cabin mate. So what if they had had feelings for one another?

The past was the past... Or was it?

Now that she thought about it, she had seen the way Nate looked at Caitlyn, it was the way he had once looked at Alex: like Caitlyn was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Like he didn't want to look at anyone else.

Mitchie knew that Nate had loved Alex, they were childhood sweethearts. She had a vague memory of the first time her two friends had kissed: they'd been in first grade, and Alex being Alex, dared Nate to kiss her. Surrounded by a growing crowd, and with a protective Jason running over to join them because one of his friends had gotten the information wrong, and told him that it was Mitchie who was to be kissed, Nate, who was at least three feet shorter than Alex, had stood up on his tiptoes and pecked the raven haired six-year-old on the lips. A blush had risen to her cheeks, but Alex had always wanted people to think of her as tough, so she kicked him, hard, and ran off, dragging Mitchie along behind her.

Nate had been in love with Alex.

But it had been two years, and if Mitchie knew anything about her best friend, it was that Alex would have wanted Nate to move on and be happy.

Maybe he could be happy with Caitlyn?

"Mitchie." Caitlyn repeated, waving a hand in front of her face. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

 _Just the face of my dead best friend._ Mitchie thought, pushing the thought away. _And the face of the only person in this world that I can actually say I hate._

 _"Nate asked me something earlier..."_ She signed instead. _"And I don't know how to feel about it."_

She raised an eye brow, letting her stuff fall to the floor before moving to sit beside the brunette. She almost didn't want to ask, because _his_ name had been mentioned, but Mitchie was her friend, and she always helped her friends.

"What's going on?"

Mitchie blinked, unsure of how to say it. She knew Nate was right, and while the doctors had said that one day, she would regain the use of her voice, no one had believed him. Jason, Shane, Mr. and Mrs. Black, Hayley, everyone else had given up home, they'd accepted the fact that she was mute, and they had moved on with their lives.  
Nate was the only one who had any faith in her, but even that had dwindled down over the years.

"Mitchie?"

 _"Nate thought..."_ Mitchie began, blinking back tears. _"Nate thinks that if I can start talking again, it'll pull Shane out of his bad mood, and bring him back to the person he used to be."_

It was Caitlyn's turn to blink.

Sometimes, Nathan Black was not a genius.

He was willing to force Mitchie to start speaking again, just to save his career? Maybe she had never really known him after all.

 _"Caitlyn."_ She signed, shaking her head. _"I know what you're thinking, but Nate's not like that. He's just desperate to get the old Shane back, and honestly... So am I."_

"You're so desperate to get Shane back..." Caitlyn said. "That you're going to force yourself to start talking again?"  
 _"It's not all about Shane!"_

The curly haired girl still looked skeptical. "Mitchie... What if you're not ready?"

 _"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."_

The two girls stared at each other for a few moments, before Caitlyn reached out to take her hand, squeezing softly. Mitchie smiled at her, and Caitlyn realized that it was the first time she had ever seen Mitchie smile to the point where it reached her eyes.

 _"I'm starving."_ Mitchie signed, jumping to her feet. _"Wanna grab some dinner?"_

"Yeah." Caitlyn replied. "That sounds great."

She could only guess that they would be joined by Shane, and Nate, but for some reason, she didn't care, and that really surprised her.

 _Can we be friends again? Please?_

Caitlyn had no idea why she couldn't stay angry at Nate, because she really wanted to hate him. She didn't want to admit it, but maybe...

Maybe there was a chance that they could be friends again?

* * *

Nate drummed his fingertips across the edge of the table and refused to meet anyone's gaze. He was hoping that no one would notice him, but even Mitchie would have known that that was just wishful thinking.

He was Nate Black, of Connect 3, he stood out, whether he wanted to or not.

A familiar hand landed on his shoulder.

 _"I figured you'd be hiding out."_ Mitchie teased. _"Mind if we join you?"_

Nate raised an eye brow. "We?"

Caitlyn stepped around Mitchie, and for reasons only known to him, Nate awkwardly jumped to his feet, sending the chair he had previously been sitting on crashing to the floor. A blush rose to his cheeks, and both teenagers dropped to their knees to retrieve it. As they did so, their foreheads smacked against one another's.

"Ouch…" Caitlyn muttered, shooting him a glare. "What the hell was that for, Nate?"

His jaw fell when she began to laugh, but he recovered quickly, cracking a smile as he climbed to his feet before holding a hand out to help her up.

It surprised him when he took it.

"I am _so_ sorry, Cait." Nate said, rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand. "Are you okay?"

Caitlyn nodded, still laughing. "You always did have a hard head."

Mitchie couldn't miss the smile on either one of their faces, but before she could tease them about it, an arm wrapped around her middle, pulling her back against a muscular chest.

"Hello there, beautiful."

She was suddenly so glad that Nate was too preoccupied with Caitlyn to notice her burning cheeks, because she never would have heard the end of it.

 _"You came!"_ Mitchie signed, turning to beam up at him. _"Nate owes me ten bucks."_

Shane raised an eye brow. "You guys were betting on whether or not I would show up for dinner?"

She nodded, and he poked her waist. Instead of silent laughter, like they had all grown so used to, a raspy giggle escaped her lips.

Had she just laughed?

All eyes were now on her.

"M-Mitchie?" Shane stammered, his eyes widening. "Did you just... Did you guys hear that?"

Nate too, looked shocked. "Oh my god..."

No one asked her to laugh again, and for that, she was grateful, because she had no idea where the laugh had come from, and she wasn't sure if she could do it again. Suddenly she was being pulled into a tight hug, her face pressed against Shane's shoulder as he spun her around in a circle.

"Mitch..." He whispered as her feet returned to the ground. "I am so proud of you."

* * *

There were several surprising turn of events that night.

Besides the fact that Mitchie had laughed for the first time in two years.

Shane was his old self for the night, and though she knew that it wouldn't last forever, it was nice to have him back. She'd sat beside him at the table, his arm thrown casually across her shoulders as he told stories to Nate and Caitlyn that had them laughing for twenty minutes straight. He'd engaged in conversations with other campers who sat nearby, and he seemed genuinely interested in their hopes and dreams as he gave them advice on how to approve their already amazing talents.

Caitlyn sat beside Nate without complaint.

She could have sat beside Shane, or Mitchie, but she had chosen to sit beside the curly haired guitarist, and though she didn't speak to him directly, more than once, from underneath Shane's arm, Mitchie had caught them glance at one another, a smile always in place.

When Shane stood up to take care of their trays, yet another thing that surprised her, she turned to Nate and nodded.

He looked confused. "What, Mitch? What's wrong?"

 _"Okay."_

"Okay?"

 _"Okay."_ Mitchie signed. _"I'm in... I want to learn how to talk again. If you think that it's going to help Shane, then I'm in."_

* * *

 **Hey guys! I just wanted to take a second and thank you for your interests in my stories, your kind words, and your patience... Especially your patience! I started this story, and 'Who Will I Be' while I was still on my winter break, and now that new college classes _(joy)_ have started up, that has been my first priority, but now that I'm starting to get on a more regular schedule, I will be updating every chance I get :)**

 **Thank you again for your patience!**

 **Lots of love!**

 **-ActingPrincess**


	14. Chapter 14

" _You and Nate looked pretty cozy last night."_ Mitchie teased. _"Anything you wanna tell me?"_

Caitlyn glanced over at her and rolled her eyes. She wanted to say that Nate wasn't on her mind, but that was the furthest thing of the truth. He was all she ever thought about.

"No, Mitchie." She lied. "Nate and I... We barely know each other."

It was Mitchie's turn to roll her eyes. They were friends, they should have been able to talk to each other about anything. She knew the full story now, so why was Caitlyn still lying?

Maybe because Caitlyn didn't know that she knew?

 _"Nate told me what happened."_ She admitted. _"Caitlyn... Why didn't you?"_

Caitlyn blinked rapidly. Nate had actually told her the truth? She couldn't believe it! He was a guy! Didn't all guys lie?

Apparently not Nate Black.

"I don't know." Caitlyn whispered, blinking back tears. "I just... It hurts _so_ much to even think about that day, let alone talk about it... I'm sorry, Mitchie. I didn't want to lie to you."

She nodded in understanding. She shouldn't have forced Nate to tell her. Countless times Shane had told her that she was too good for her own good, and maybe that was true, but if there was a problem between two people that she cared about, she was going to try and fix it.

 _"Can I ask you something?"_

"Anything."

 _"Do you still have feelings for him?"_

Caitlyn stared at the wall, unsure of how to answer. Did she still have feelings for him?

His smile made her go weak in the knees.

His laugh was music to her ears.

All he had to do was say her damn nickname, and she'd drop everything to continue her conversation with him. Caitlyn Gellar would always have feelings for Nathan Black. She just couldn't shake him, and that drove her insane.

"Honestly?"

 _"Honestly."_

"Yes."

Mitchie stood up, moving across the room to reach out and take her hand. They stood in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to say to one another.

"Whoever she is." Caitlyn said. "The girl in the picture... She's lucky to have him."

Mitchie stared at her, her eyes full of confusion. _"Caitlyn... What are you..."_

She shook her head as the realization hit her.

Why did Nate always have to leave the most important part out of any story he told?

She signed for Caitlyn to stay put before moving back across the room to grab the picture frame from off of her bedside table. It was one of her favorites.

Alex had always known the right thing to say, Alex had always been there for the worst of times.

Mitchie missed her every day.

She traced her thumb across Alex's face, smearing the glass with her thumb. It had been her raven haired best friend who insisted on taking the picture, and she had a vague memory of both girls poking Nate until he smiled a real smile. He never was one for getting his picture taken, though that had improved, because he now had to take a picture with fans daily.

Caitlyn was watching her carefully.

Mitchie handed the frame to her.

 _"Caitlyn..."  
_

"Yeah?"

 _"What exactly..."_ Mitchie paused, her hands shaking. _"What exactly did Nate tell you about the accident?"_

 _She went mute after a car accident a few years ago, and she hasn't spoken a word since._

"Just that you lost your voice after an accident." Caitlyn sounded wary. "Why, Mitch? What's wrong?"  
Mitchie silently cursed Nate.

 _"Nate has this logic where he doesn't tell someone the full story._ " She signed. _"He thinks he's somehow protecting whoever from the fall out, and yet it always comes back to bite him in the ass. He means well, but..."_

"Mitchie..."

She dropped down onto Caitlyn's bed, suddenly feeling weak. It was the first time she dared to tell anyone since Alex's death, and Drew's arrest.

"Mitchie."

Caitlyn moved to sit beside her, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"Mitchie." She said again. "What is it? You can tell me anything... I hope you know that."

* * *

"Nate!"

"Caity?" He asked, raising an eye brow. "What... What's wrong? Is Mitchie okay?"

The sun was beginning to set out over the lake, reminding him of being back home: himself, Jason, Alex and Mitchie had stayed out late one night to watch the stars appear over the beach. He'd never forget lying in the sand, rolling his eyes as Jason and Mitchie cracked _very_ bad jokes from somewhere nearby. Alex had slowly rolled over until she was directly beside him, and he'd shifted so his arm was wrapped around her shoulders, her head resting against his own. He had said _it_ there the first time, the three words, eight letters that any girl would have died to hear.

He'd told Alex that he loved her, she'd said it back immediately.

When Jason and Mitchie had come over to tell them that it was time to go, the two teenagers had still been kissing, Mitchie had gagged, and Jason's older brother instincts had taken over as he physically pulled them apart. Maybe it was just the memory of that beautiful night, but just like Shane, he had always found sitting by the water to be very peaceful.

And yet, as he watched Caitlyn break a sweat trying to make her way over to him, he didn't feel very peaceful at all.

Mitchie. Was Mitchie okay?

Something had to be wrong! Caitlyn _hated_ him, he was the last person she would go to. If Shane had said _anything_ to Mitchie...

His ass was grass.

"Cait." Nate said. "Take a breath. What's wrong?"

Caitlyn tripped while trying to slow her pace, and he wrapped his arms around her waist to try and steady her. She ended up knocking the both of them to the ground. The only thing Nate could do was laugh.

Mitchie was always doing the exact same thing.

"Are you alright?" He asked, momentarily forgetting her panicked tone of voice. "You know, you are the most klutzy dancer I know."

Caitlyn stared back at him, her expression unreadable.

"Cait?"

No matter what happened between them, no matter how angry she had been at him, if he would have called her that night, she would have answered the phone, and she would have been there for him.

Why hadn't he called her?

"Nate..." Caitlyn whispered, shaking her head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She knew.

He could tell instantly from the look on her face that she knew. Mitchie must have told her, because if he was being honest, he hadn't planned on telling her anything. In his mind, letting Caitlyn hate him was easier than him telling her the truth, and having her forgive him out of pity.

He couldn't do that to her.

He wouldn't do that to her.

Nate let out a long sigh, releasing his grip on her. "Mitchie told you?"

"Nate." She said again. "Why? I would have been there for you, Nate. Why didn't _you_ tell me?"

They stared each other down for a moment.

"Why should I?" He snapped. "I mean, honestly, Cait, it was none of your business, and Mitchie had no right to tell you."

He turned away from her, crossing his arms as he continued to glare out at the lake. Did the universe hate him?

Did Mitchie?

Mitchie. He thought that they had had a silent agreement that the accident was something they did not discuss. They could talk about Alex, and they did, constantly, but the accident, and Drew, were two things that were off limits. He was trying to protect her from that pain.

And by now talking about it, and forcing his sister to keep all that pain locked up inside, he was protecting her?

Nate could feel the tears burning his eyes, but he didn't bother to brush them away. Everything was so messed up, and for once in his life, he didn't know how to fix it: his life, Shane's attitude, Mitchie's pain.

Alex would have known what to do.

Why couldn't she be there now?

He just missed her so damned much that it hurt! When would it stop hurting?

When would the pain finally go away?

Slowly, Nate turned back to face Caitlyn, and the second she saw the tears in his eyes, she slipped her arms around his torso, and held on for dear life.

"Cait." He whispered, resting his chin on top of her head. "I am _so_ sorry... I never meant to hurt you."

"I know." Caitlyn replied, pressing her face into his shoulder. "It's okay, Nate. Everything is going to be okay."


	15. Chapter 15

How could a Sunday morning be so _boring?_

Maybe because there were no classes to attend?

Mitchie let out a silent sigh, gently nudging Caitlyn with her elbow as she did so. The curly haired girl was sitting beside her, dragging a stick through the dirt because there was nothing better to do.

Nate was busy writing a new song.

Shane was still sleeping.

Jason wasn't answering any of her FaceTime requests.

Usually, when she wanted to be alone, all three of them were in the room with her, refusing to leave. Why was it that the one time she was actually _begging_ for Connect 3's company, none of them seemed to be around?

"We could go to the lake." Caitlyn offered, dropping her stick. "No... It's too cold."

It was oddly chilly, and currently, both girls were dressed as if it were late September, or early October, instead of halfway into June. Mitchie had snagged Shane's favorite long sleeved shirt from his closet the night before, and though it was way big for her, she had never felt warmer,

"Mitchie. We can't sit here all day!"

 _"I know."_ Mitchie signed. _"Let me try Shane again."_

She pulled her phone out of her pocket.

Hey! Pop Star! Rise and shine! It's almost noon! You can't sleep the day away, Shane! WAKE UP!

Caitlyn began to laugh as she read the messages over Mitchie's shoulder. No more than ten seconds later, her phone began to play a 'Connect 3' song. Shane's ringtone.

 **Michelle Elizabeth Torres... If you text me one more time, I will throw you into the lake!  
I love you, but you gotta let me sleep, women.**

Caitlyn laughed again. "Is texting him again worth getting thrown into the lake?"

 _"No."_ Mitchie replied, rolling her eyes. _"It's really not."_

"So... What do you wanna... Mitchie?"

Caitlyn raised an eye brow as she watched a smile spread across her friend's face. Suddenly, Mitchie jumped to her feet, and took off running down the path.

"Mitchie!" Caitlyn called, "Where are you going?"

A curly haired boy was rounding the corner, and the second he caught sight of the brunette, he held his arms out, ready to catch her.

 _"You ass!"_ Mitchie signed, before throwing her arms around his neck. _"I hate you!"_

It was Jason Green.

"Is that any way to talk to your brother?" He asked with a laugh. "And just so you know, I love you even when you say you hate me."

She rolled her eyes. _"What are you doing here?"_

The oldest band member pushed his sunglasses up to rest on top of his head before reaching down to take her hand in his. She'd missed him, more than she would ever admit to Shane and Nate. That summer was the longest they had ever been separated in their entire lives.

"You didn't really think I'd leave you alone with my two bone head band mates for the whole summer, and not come to check up on you, did you?"

She rolled her eyes again, giving him a gentle shove.

 _"I missed you, Jase."_

"Not as much as I missed you, Munchkin."

He tucked her into his side, keeping a firm grip on her shoulders. Mitchie's smile only grew as a raven haired girl rounded the corner.

 _"Hayley!"  
_

"Hey, Munchkin!" Hayley called, pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh, I missed you!"

Caitlyn shot Jason a wary glance, and Jason smiled back at her in confusion. He knew the curly haired girl looked familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

 _"Cait."_ Mitchie signed, leading them over with a firm grip on his hand. _"This is my brother, Jason, and my sister-in-law, Hayley. Jase, Hayles. this is my cabin mate, and amazingly talented new friend, Caitlyn."_

Jason raised an eye brow as he offered her a hand. Caitlyn. As in... Nate's Caitlyn?

"Hi..." He muttered, giving her hand a quick squeeze. "It's great to see you again."

"You too." Caitlyn replied. "Um, Mitch? I'll let you guys catch up."

Mitchie nodded, offering her friend a small smile as she watched her walk off in the opposite direction. As soon as Caitlyn was gone, Mitchie was suddenly being lifted into the air as Jason threw her over his broad shoulder.

"C'mon, little sister." He said, tightening his grip on her legs. "We've got people to see."

* * *

The door of his cabin swung open.

His song writing sessions were _supposed_ to be private. The only person he'd ever allowed to be in the room with him while he wrote was Mitchie, and that was because they thought alike. She was his favorite person to write songs with, they always seemed to be on the same wave length.

He turned to glare at the culprit, but a grin spread across his face instead.

"Hey man!" Nate said, leaving his guitar to lean up against the wall. "What are you guys doing here?"

Jason finally put Mitchie down, and Hayley reached out to wrap her arms around the fifteen-year old.

"Can't we come and check up on you guys?"

Nate rolled his eyes. He should have known that Jason would come to check up on them sooner or later. Jason was always saying that he trusted both Shane and Nate when it came to his sister, but Mitchie was the only family he had left, and it would destroy him if anything were to ever happen to her.

The accident had already caused enough damage.

Jason glanced around the room. "Where's the Hot Head?"

 _"He's still sleeping."_ Mitchie signed. _"Should we go wake him up?"_

"It won't be pretty..." Hayley reminded them, but there was a smile on her face. "But what the hell! Let's do it!"

"Why don't you guys go." Jason said. "I think you and I need to talk."

She opened her mouth to protest, but her brother stepped towards her, reaching out to pinch her waist. She jumped, causing the two boys in the room to burst out laughing.

"Go on, Mitch." Jason muttered, bending down to press his lips to her forehead. "We'll catch up."

Hayley took hold of the fifteen-year-old's hand, gently tugging her towards the door. He watched them go with a smile on his face.

Hayley loved Mitchie just as much as he did.

Mitchie had only been ten when their parents car flipped over on the highway due to a drunk driver. Hearing that they hadn't survived the crash had nearly killed her. Mrs. Black was the closest thing she had to a mother-figure nowadays, though they both called her 'Carmen' instead of 'Mom.'

He'd first met Hayley during a vacation in the Bahamas, and when they'd started dating two years earlier, it had been Hayley to insist on building a relationship with Mitchie as well. It had taken a lot of effort on Hayley's part, at thirteen, Mitchie wasn't very trusting, but soon, the girls had become thick as thieves.

Much to his amusement, and sometimes annoyance, they knew how to gang up on him to get their way.

"What's going on, Jase?"

Jason let out a long sigh, turning to shoot him a wary glance. "So, I ran into Caitlyn..."

Nate groaned.

Caitlyn.

They hadn't talk about their long embrace, they had hardly been speaking to one another, but she sat beside him at every single meal, and he was sure he caught her smiling at him from across the room every once in a while.

"Shane and Mitchie already beat you to that talk." Nate said. "But since you're here, I need your input, man."

"What's going on?"

He sighed, running a hand through his curly hair. He had no idea how Jason was about to react, it would either give him hope, or anger him beyond belief.

Mitchie's accident had nearly destroyed Jason.

Nate could still remember Jason, pacing back and forth in Mitchie's hospital room that fateful night, and he could also remember thinking that if Mitchie didn't wake up, that Jason would never be able to forgive him.

"Nate?"

"I have an idea." He muttered. "On how to get the old Shane back. If Mitchie could just..."

Though the media portrayed Jason to be the goofy one of the group, he was actually one of the smartest people Nate knew.

When it came to Mitchie, anyway.

"No." Jason snapped, his eyes hardening. "No way. Nathan, you are _not_ using my little sister just to get Shane back."

His jaw fell slightly. "But Mitchie already agreed..."

"I don't care." He hissed. "What made you think this would work, Nate?"

"She laughed the other day..."

Jason's expression was unreadable as he moved to sit on the edge of Nate's neatly made bed.

"I know." He whispered. "Shane called me, and while I think it's great that you guys got her to laugh... It doesn't mean anything, man."

Nate raised an eye brow in confusion.

"I gave up on Mitchie learning how to talk again a long time ago, Nate."

He reached out to rest a hand on his friend's shoulder, his eyes widening. "Jase..."

"It's hopeless." Jason muttered, shaking his head. "Mitchie learning how to speak again is just hopeless, man, and the sooner we all accept that, the sooner we can all move on with our lives."

"Jason!"

"What?"

Shane cleared his throat, and alarm swept across his face as he slowly came to realize why Nate had been trying to stop him from talking.

Mitchie stood in the doorway of the cabin, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Mitch..." He drew out, taking a step towards her. "I..."

She took off running before anyone could stop her.

"Mitch!" Nate called. "Wait..."

"Michelle!" Jason yelled, the authority in his tone over-masking the concern. "Michelle Elizabeth Torres! Get back here!"

Shane started after her, but then changed his mind, instead turning to face Jason.

"What the hell, man?" He demanded, giving the oldest band member of rough shove. "Why would you say that?"

"I'm not gonna lie to my sister, man." Jason replied, shoving him back. "Why the hell do you care?"

Jason knew _exactly_ why his young friend cared. Shane looked at Mitchie the same way he looked at his wife, Hayley.

"Mitchie is _not_ hopeless." Shane hissed. "Don't you dare call her that again."

He gave his band mate one last shove before throwing the cabin door open and letting it slam shut behind him.

"Shane." Hayley said. "Where are you going?"

"To find Mitchie." He called over his shoulder. "Are you guys coming, or what?"


	16. Chapter 16

They split up.

Jason and Hayley agreed to go down to the lake, Caitlyn offered to accompany Nate to the various Stages around the camp.

That just left Shane to search the woods.

He was on his own, just the way he liked it to be. Unless Mitchie was around, of course.

"Do you think she's okay?" Caitlyn asked. "She won't answer any of my texts."

She stumbled, and Nate's arms shot out, wrapping around her before she could hit the ground. He never could tell if his quick reflexes came from being a rock star, where one of the crew members would quickly toss him a new guitar, or a different mic, or if it was because of all the years he had spent saving Mitchie, his very klutzy Mitchie, from face planting.

She shot him a grateful glance, and he released his grip on her.

"She's good at hiding." Nate replied distractedly, looking down at his phone. "Always has been."

If he was being honest, Mitchie running off whenever she felt upset had really gotten old. He wasn't annoyed, but he should have had a head full of gray hair at the ripe old age of seventeen from all the stressful, and worry-some moments she'd put him through. She was his sister, and he was her brother, he was supposed to look out for her, he was supposed to protect her. He just wished that she would let him be there for her, instead of believing that she had to deal with everything on her own.

Was this somehow his fault?

Caitlyn raised an eye brow, hesitantly reaching out to poke his shoulder. "Nate?"

"Am I selfish?" He demanded, his sudden outburst startling her. "I mean... Am I being selfish by asking Mitchie to do this?"

Was it worth putting Mitchie through all the stress of learning how to speak again, just to get Shane back?

Was he being selfish?

Was he a horrible brother?

She let out a long sigh. When Mitchie had told her about Nate's plan, she had labeled him as selfish, she couldn't deny that.

Nate Black was many things, but selfish was not one of them.

He cared about his friends: Jason, Shane, Mitchie. Hell, he even cared about her, and she didn't know what they were anymore.

If anything...

He was desperate.

"You're not."

Nate whipped his head around, his eyes full of confusion. "What?"

"You're not selfish." Caitlyn muttered, refusing to look at him. "You're just trying to save someone you care about, and that's one of the most unselfish things you could do. _That's_ who you are, Nate... It's who you've always been."

He blinked, surprised by her words. It was something the old Caitlyn would have said. The Caitlyn Gellar he knew, had known, was sweeter than her usual tough demeanor let on.

He missed her. More than he would ever admit.

"I just..."

"You're not selfish." She said again. "You are the least selfish person I have ever met."

Caitlyn turned to smile at him, and he couldn't help but grin back at her. He _knew_ that smile, he'd always loved that smile.

He'd spent two years missing that smile.

It was the first genuine smile she had been able to give him since they had been reunited.

Was there hope for them?

He could only pray.

"I..." Nate stuttered, pulling his phone out. "I'm gonna text her... Maybe she'll answer for me."

 **You don't have to tell me where you are, but at least let me know that you're okay.  
**

 **Please, Mitch. I'm really worried.  
**

 **I love you.**

Caitlyn read the text from over his shoulder, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

She knew that Mitchie was like a sister to Nate, but the way he treated her, the way he cared about her, _that_ was the Nate Black she knew.

And still loved.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, she would always have feelings for him. She couldn't shake him.

"Cait?"

He was watching her carefully, his eyes full of concern.

"You're a good friend." She mumbled, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Um... To Mitchie, I mean."


	17. Chapter 17

"Michelle Elizabeth Torres..." He growled, his phone pressed to his ear. "You'd better text me _right_ now and tell me where I can find you, or your ass is grass."

Shane Gray was angry, _really_ angry.

Mitchie needed to stop running away. He had never worried about a human being more than her.  
And that pissed him off.

He was Shane Gray; he didn't _need_ anyone!

It was his world, it was supposed to be all about _him_ , but then there was Mitchie, his beautiful, sarcastic, stubborn Mitchie.

He cared about her.

He loved her.

She brought out a different side of him, the part of him that he'd buried so long ago. Mitchie saw the nice guy, the guy who cared, the guy who would have done anything to protect her.

And he wanted to resent her for that, he really did. It was so much easier to be a jerk, and feel nothing. It kept the posers away.

But his bad attitude also pushed away his friends and family, even Mitchie at times.

Shane let out a long, annoyed sigh. "Damn it, Mitch, just tell me where you are, please! I'm worried about you."

He ended the call, keeping his phone balled up in his fist in case she did decide to text him back.

Why was she always running away?

Shane sighed again.

This was all Jason's fault.

 _I gave up on Mitchie learning how to talk again a long time ago._

Shane's hope over Mitchie regaining the ability to speak had dwindled down over the years too, but he didn't want to say that it was impossible.

Nothing was impossible, nothing was ever as it seemed.

A twig snapped, and he whipped his head around.

"Mitchie?"

 _"For the record."_ She signed, refusing to meet his gaze. _"One voice mail is more than enough."_

He stared at her in disbelief.

She didn't get to feel annoyed. No, not when he'd been out looking for her, worried sick.

If anyone got to be annoyed, or angry, it was him.

Shane started forward, wrapping his hands around her arms to hold her there, as if he feared that she would try to run again.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Mitchie flinched at the coldness in his tone. She hadn't meant to make him angry, or worried, she had just wanted to be alone, something she was rarely allowed to be, because she lived with three very over-protective boys.

And a protective sister-in-law, though Hayley was nowhere near as overbearing as Jason, Shane and Nate.

"Mitchie." Shane snapped, his grip on her tightening. "Where have you been?"

 _"Around."  
_

He rolled his eyes. "Mitchie..."

Shane took one last look at herm and pulled her into a tight hug, momentarily letting his anger fade away. She gave in, winding her arms around his torso, and pressing her face into his shoulder.

He always made her feel better.

"Are you alright?"

She shrugged in response.

"Mitchie." Shane pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Jason didn't mean it..."

Mitchie shook her head, raising her hands to start signing. _"Yes he did, Shay. I've known that he felt that way for a while, he's just never said the words out loud."_

Jason didn't think that Mitchie was hopeless, she was his little sister, and he loved her more than anything in the world. He'd just said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Shane understood, he'd made the same mistake a few weeks prior, but it did nothing to ease Mitchie's pain, because words couldn't be unsaid.

She would forgive her brother eventually, she just wouldn't forget.

"I want you to remember something. Okay, Mitch?" He asked, squeezing her shoulders. "I don't care if you speak another word for the rest of your life? I love you for just being you. You're amazing, Miss. Torres, and don't you forget it."

Mitchie managed a smile. Sometimes, she had no idea what she would do without him.

* * *

"Mitchie!"

Relief was clearly written across his face as he caught sight of Shane pulling Mitchie along behind him, a firm grip on her hand.

"Michelle Elizabeth Torres..." He drew out. "What the hell were you thinking?"

She wasted no time in launching herself into her brother's arms.

"I am so sorry, Mitchie." Jason whispered, resting a hand at the back of her head. "I didn't mean it. You know I love you, Munchkin. More than anything."

 _"I know."_ Mitchie replied, though she still looked upset. _"I love you too."_

"Michelle Elizabeth Torres!"

She winced as she whirled around to find herself face-to-face with Nate.

"I swear to god..." He drew out, shooting her a hard look. "If you take off like that _one_ more time..."

Nate sighed, looping his arms around her shoulders as he pulled her into a too-tight hug. She gave in, winding her own arms around his torso as she buried her face into his chest.

"You have gotta stop doing that." He mumbled. "I should have a full head of gray hair with all the stress you've put me through."

Mitchie cracked a smile. _"I think I saw a few at the back of your head..."_

Nate's hand self-consciously flew to rest against his curls. "Shane, is she telling the truth?"

"Of course not." Shane replied with a laugh, slipping his arm around Mitchie's waist.

He actually let out a sigh of relief.

"There's more than a few."

Nate glared at his two band mates, and hysterically laughing sister. He wanted to be mad, he really did, but Mitchie's smile was so contagious that it made him crack a grin.

It wasn't over, not by a long shot. It would take a long time to convince Mitchie that she could regain the use of her voice, probably more time then they actually had, but he knew she could do it.

Right then and there, he didn't care. His sister was safe. she was smiling, and that was all that mattered to him.


	18. Chapter 18

"You know you're an idiot, right?"

 _"Is that any way to talk to your sister?"_

"Hey." Nate held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not the one who ran off into the woods and got lost, Mitch."

She stomped down on his foot in response.

"You're gonna pay for that one, little sister."

Mitchie took off running in the opposite direction, Nate hot at her heels. This time, he was the clumsy one. As he tripped over his own two feet, he began to roll the rest of the way down the hill, dragging Mitchie along with him.

When he finally came to a stop, he was back on his feet instantly, his hands curling around her arms. "Mitchie? Are you okay?"

She grinned at him. _"We have_ _got_ _to stop doing that."_

"You mean _you've_ gotta stop doing that." Nate corrected, pulling her into a standing position. "You're the klutz here, Mitch. Not me."

 _"Whatever helps you sleep at night."_

He didn't reply.

He loved his conversations with her, he really did. Meaningful, goofy, long or short, they had always been able to talk, about anything and everything...

But he missed Mitchie being able to actually _talk_ to him. So much.

 _"Nate?"_

"Sorry Mitch." Nate muttered, barely managing to smile down at her. "I was just thinking..."

 _"You know I can read you like an open book, right?"_

He laughed: no one knew him as well as his sister, and he could never quite figure out if that was a good thing or not.

He couldn't tell her what he was thinking, because he didn't want her to comfort him. He didn't deserve it, he really didn't.

Was he selfish?

Nate didn't want the answer to be _yes_ , that he was very selfish, but he knew that it was true. Mitchie should have been able to regain the use of her voice because she wanted to, not because he'd asked her to.

Maybe it wasn't the best way to save Shane, it was just the only thing he could think of.

" _Nate?"_

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Mitchie."

 _"For what?"_ Mitchie's brows knitted together in confusion. _"What are you talking about?"_

"I shouldn't be making you do this." Nate mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I think it's doing more harm than good."

 _"Nate..."_

He shook his head. "No, Mitch, let me finish."

She lowered her hands, a sign for him to continue.

"I think I'm the only one who has faith in you." Nate whispered, refusing to meet her gaze. "And I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm saying it cause it's the truth."

Mitchie slowly nodded in agreement. It was true, they both knew it.

She didn't have faith in herself, as bad as that sounded, and she should have. It wasn't like she hadn't _tried_ to speak over the years, but nothing ever came out. Maybe Jason and Shane were right, maybe it was just hopeless.

Mitchie pushed the bitter thought away. She couldn't think like that.

"I'm not gonna force you to do anything, Mitch." He said. "I just want you to be happy, okay? I think I can find another way to save Shane."

They stared at one another for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

 _"I love you, Nate."_

"I love you too, Mitch."

She started walking again, waiting for him to fall into step beside her. He was about to follow her when he caught sight of a familiar looking curly haired girl making her way around the corner.

"Mitchie?"

She turned around.

"Tell Jason and Hayley I'll be there in a second?" Nate asked. "There's something I've gotta do."

Mitchie nodded, shooting him a knowing smile before she made her way back up the path. They were both supposed to be getting ready to say goodbye to Jason and Hayley. Shane was with them already.

"Caitlyn!"

"Nate!" She replied, just as eagerly. "Hey! What's up?"

"Just hanging out." He replied, nervously raking a hand through his hair. "Hey... I never got to thank you for helping us find Mitchie earlier."

Caitlyn laughed, shaking her head. "Hate to break it to ya, Natie, but _we_ didn't find Mitchie. Shane did."

He couldn't help but smile at the use of his old nickname. When he'd started calling her 'Caity', a term of endearment that he knew she had hated with a burning passion, in retaliation, she'd started calling him 'Natie.' He'd hated that nickname, with a very intense burning passion, but he'd let it stick because it made her flash her beautiful smile every time she used it.

"How is she?"

"She'll be alright." Nate promised. He could just barely make out Mitchie's retreating figure. "It means a lot that you helped me look for her."

"I care about her, Nate." Caitlyn replied. "She's a good friend. It's not that big of a deal."

The two teenagers started walking, unsure of where they would end up, but neither one of them wanted to leave the other.

Not that they would ever admit that.

"Caity?"

"Yeah, Natie?"

He rolled his eyes. "I always hated that."

"Un huh." She drew out, a grin spreading across her face. "Sure you did. You know what I hated, Nate? The time that you let me take the blame for breaking Brown's expensive champagne glasses."

"Cait..." Nate drew out. "I might have gotten the glasses for you, but I never told you to fill them with water and turn them into instruments!"

"I wanted to play 'Camp Town Races' Nathan!"

He shook his head and laughed. "Well it sucked, Cait, that's all I remember."

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes at him, and he stuck his tongue out at him in response. While twirling her finger around one of the glasses, she'd somehow managed to send six of them crashing to the floor. Brown had burst into the room shortly after the commotion, and Nate, who back then had never been good under pressure, had blurted out her name the moment Shane's uncle had demanded to know who was behind the mess.

"I could have killed you!"

"I know." Nate replied, still laughing. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? I helped you clean up all the broken glass, didn't I?"

Caitlyn frowned. "Only after Jason made you."

"Oh yeah..."

They both burst out laughing. During the days of their friendship, there had never been a dull moment between the two.

And he missed that. So much.

"You called me _Natie_."

Caitlyn stopped laughing abruptly. "What?"

"You called me Natie." He repeated, staring down at the ground. "I never thought I'd hear that name again."

"Yeah..." She shrugged. "I... I guess I've missed calling you that... It was a lot more fun when it got on your nerves, though."

"It's secretly getting under my skin." Nate told her, in an attempt to make her feel better. "Cait?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you."

It seemed like such an insignificant thing to say.

"I know." Caitlyn replied, after a moment. She let out a long held-in sigh. "I miss you too."

She's said it, she'd finally said it.

And she meant it, no matter how hard she had tried to deny it, she did miss him. She missed her best friend, she had for the last two years.

It _sucked_ not having him in her life.

Nate looked shocked.

Caitlyn _missed_ him?

Maybe there was hope for them after all?

"So... Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know, Nate." Caitlyn whispered, her shoulders dropping in a shrug. "I really don't."

His face fell, and that made her feel so guilty.

"Okay, look." She muttered. "I can't promise that I'll forget everything, you know how good I am at holding grudges, but I'm gonna try to let it go, so you and I can be friends again, because I do miss you, so much, and I would rather have you in my life as a friend rather than not have you there at all."


End file.
